Operation Time Turner
by turquoiserainlilies
Summary: The last few remains of the Death Eaters have somehow acquired a Time Turner to help Voldemort rise once again. Harry must send his remaining children, his niece and nephew, a Scamander and Longbottom, and a Malfoy to stop it from happening. A midst battles, sacrifices, betrayals, weird ghosts, and love triangles. They must succeed or the world will bow to the Dark Lord
1. Once Upon A Time

**PLEASE SEE THE SUMMARY CONTEST ON CHAPTER 16!**

* * *

**Summary:**

In the year 2023, a group of Death Eaters, calling themselves the Death Cults, took hold of two of the seven Time Turners left in the world. Using the time turner, they traveled back to the year 1997 to capture and kill Harry Potter, so that Lord Voldemort may continue his reign of terror.

All fails have faults, and this one is that the 2023 Harry Potter just so happen to be monitoring the activities of these Time Turners. When he learned of the Death Cult's plan, he devised a plan for 7 young students to travel back into the year 1997 as well, under disguise, in order to protect the Big 7 of their time.

Will his plan work? Or will the Death Cult succeed instead? With the fate of the world in 7 young teenager's hand, anything could happen

* * *

**Characters:**

**Time Travelers:**

Alice 'Aly' Longbottom - Daughter of Neville and Hannah Longbottom

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy - Son of Draco and Astrid Malfoy

Lily Luna Potter - Daughter of Harry and Ginevra Potter

James Sirius Potter - Son of Harry and Ginevra Potter

Lysander Scamander - Son of Rolf Scamander, Step-Son Luna Lovegood

Hugo Weasley - Son of Ronald and Hermione Weasley

Rose Weasley - Daugher of Ronald and Hermione Weasley

**Other:**

Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginevra Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy

* * *

A man in his mid-sixties walked with superiority and arrogance through the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Though his once platinum hair had faded to almost a boring shade of grey, he held his head up as group of people coward as he passed by. His grey eyes were hawk like and stared around the room for anything out of place, anything that can ruin his plan.

He brushed past by hurried witches and wizards as they rushed through the Atrium towards the elevators, but this man wasn't in as much of a hurry as the others, though he may be just as anxious as the others, but he couldn't act like he was a nerve wreck. No, he had to appear the formidable pure-blood he is.

"The paper mister?" A young boy waved a piece of newspaper in his face. The man sneered, he had no interest in what Mudblood loving reporters had to say about the new laws regarding House Elf rights today, but the boy was too eager and followed him several of steps. He eventually just snatched it out of the boys hand to get him again. The title reads _The Daily Prophet – Sunday August 30th, 2023, _with the following title _Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt to retire, _with a slightly smaller article squeezed in the corner: _Azkaban Break-Out: Auror Harry Potter gives his views._

That brought both delight and annoyance to the man. On one hand, he, and he alone, was the reason why the Azkaban Break-Out was a success. The Carrow Siblings, Rookwood, Avery, Mulciber, Rosier and Travers all had him to thank for their success. Now they were all waiting for him at the Ministry of Magic, to carry out their well thought out plan. It has been in the making, in fact, for over two decades. He had grown old over the years, but his brain still as sharp and Mudblood hating. Now they have finally found a way to succeed, unless Harry Potter stops them.

Harry Potter, the bane of his existence and the head of the Auror department. The rest of the Wizard world might be fooled into thinking that he's innocent, but Harry Potter knew otherwise, which is why Potter had someone escort him every time he visits in the Ministry, except this time, because he came unannounced. He felt anger bubbling inside him as he read onward in the article; _"We've got everything under control, Aurors around the globe have been working hard to find them. Ex-Aurors Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom have also agreed to help" _Potter had said. How arrogant does Potter had to be to think that he and his petty little friends can stop the rage of the Death Cult? And organization that has been in the works ever since the falls of the Dark Lord, an organization that will, today, destroy the existence of Potter and his precious friends and kids, and bring back the glory of the Dark Lord. The man was smirking just at the thought of this, that is, until he was interrupted by the sight of an old friend.

"Rookwood." He murmured as he brushed by another man, who had messy dark hair and wore a Ministry uniform a size too small to fit into the crowd, 'Everything's going accordingly?"

Rookwood nodded, "Avery and Mulciber are in the Department of Mystery right now, and Rosier and Travers are planning a diversion at the Auror Department for distraction, otherwise all alarms are turned off and The Carrows are outside with our escape plan.

The man smirked once more; everything couldn't be going smoother, that is, until a flash of brown hair distracted him from his work.

"Mrs. Hermione Weasley!" He said politely to the middle aged woman in a business suit and a stern look, "How lovely to bump into you." Rookwood slipped into the crowd discreetly.

Hermione's face twisted into a forced looking smile, "Like wise."

"May I ask why you're out and about at this time?" He asked with an unpleasant tone. He was polite and somewhat curt to Hermione, but sometimes he let a bit of cruelty slip out, as he couldn't care anything about that dirty Mudblood girl.

"I may ask you the same." Hermione sighed, "I was just on my way to deliver a report to Harry." The man's face turned dark. Besides his obvious dislike in the two of them, he found it very unprofessional for Hermione to call Potter by his first name in a work place.

"I'm sure Mr. Potter can wait." He turned on his charm a bit, "Why don't we take a walk, to lunch?" He gestured towards the Ministry cafeteria.

Hermione looked taken back, surely having lunch with him was not on the top twenty to-do list for today, but as a respected Head of Department, she couldn't be turning down an invitation from one of the main benefactors of the Ministry.

"Of course." She said tightly, and followed him through the Atrium, report still in hand and walking briskly.

"How's your husband?" He asked in the spirit of the conversation, "And your children? Rosa and Hugh, is it?"

Hermione's lip pursed, "Ronald's fine, and it is Rose and Hugo."

"Of course." The man responded, the brats of Mudbloods does not interest him, nor does the blood traitor family of the Weasleys, but he had to remain of Hermione's good side, as she is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"May I ask why you're inviting me to lunch all of the sudden?" She said without a single tone of playfulness, "You have a very busy schedule, as I recall."

"Just taking a breath of fresh air, it's all." He said lightheartedly, despite Hermione's frowning.

They proceeded toward the cafeteria, but he still looked around for any sort of disturbance. Of course, he won't be actually doing the dirty work, but if they were caught, and he was in the Ministry, surely it won't reflect well on his reputation, and he needed that for the next part of his plan.

"I don't mean to take out of the conversation." He suddenly interrupted, having remembered why he came, besides overseeing the idiots working on the first step, "But I just have to say that this will be my last visit for a while."

No doubt was there a flash of happiness across Hermione's face, but was quickly disguised with sorrow. One thing he'll give the lowly Mudblood credits for, she is a decent liar, "That is terrible news; we do enjoy your visits very much." She said, though a hint of sarcasm can be detected.

"Going on a vacation with the wife." He replied, "It's been a while since we had a bit of alone time together. I may be gone for a while."

"We'll miss you greatly." She said empathetically. Just then, out of the corner of his eyes, was Avery, looking absolutely suspicious and not at all stealthy.

"Will you excuse me?" He said, "I just remembered that my grandson needed to see a Healer this afternoon. He had come down with flu and I promised my son I'll take him, since he is quite busy."

Hermione looked startled for a second, and then nodded, "We'll finish the conversation when you get back, of course." Though her tone suggested that they definitely won't, "We'll see you soon."

He nodded towards her, "Of course, Mrs. Weasley." and left quickly, shooting a dagger look towards Avery.

"Could you be more obvious?" He hit the man over on his head with a cane. Though the group is majorly made of aging man, Avery Jr. Jr. was one of the younger recruits, offspring Avery Jr. Sadly he was just as hopeless as his father. If the man could carry out the plan all by himself, he could have, but sadly it required a bit more manpower that he didn't possessed.

"Sorry." Avery mumbled, "We got it though." He reached into his pocket before the man shushed him, "Do you want every to see it?" He looked around a little, "Come on; let's go." Avery grabbed the man's forearm, and instantly vanished out of the Atrium and into what looked like an alley way, where a group of at least ten other men stood.

"Have you got it?" One of the man sneered at the new arrivals, "You better got it."

He nodded, "Right here." He jabbed his walking stick towards the younger man, who quickly, but clumsily, pulled a metal chain out of his pocket. It revealed to have an ornament attached to it, three rings interconnecting made out of a clear looking metal, titanium, with a single hour glass in the center.

For the first time since they arrived, the group smiled, though it's an ugly sight as some of them have lost their tooth, "The Dark Lord will be pleased."

The man rolled his eyes, "The Dark Lord has no idea of our plans." He paused, "yet." A group near the garbage cans laughed, "But once we go back, he'll reward us plenty."

He looked towards all the members of the group, and settles his eyes on a young man in his thirties, who was blonde as well, "What to do the honors Draco?" He smiled and offered the necklace towards him.

Draco looked startled as he took the necklace in his hands, "Fine." He mumbled. He looked tired and weary, like he wanted to be anywhere else but here, which is a haunting look on a grown man, but with all greedy eyes on him and the necklace in between his fingers, he couldn't just apparate out of the place, "Everybody grab the chain." And they did quickly and longingly.

The man grinned down at the blonde one, and took the chain as well, "1997, here we come."

* * *

**There's the prologue! This story spans across maybe 20 chapters or more. It's a bit complex, but I hope I made it pretty clear!**

**On the top is a list of the time travelers and the main 7 characters from the 1997 time period they'll be associating with, most of them are canon, except for Neville's daughter Aly, who is pretty important.**

**R and R!**

**~Lilies**


	2. I: Time is of the Essence

**Chapter 1: Time is of the Essence**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Longbottom Household

**S. Malfoy** – Training Room at Auror Department

**L. Potter** – Potter Household

**J. Potter** – Office of Head of Auror Department

**L. Scamander **– Training Room at Auror Department

**R. Weasley** – Ministry Library

**H. Weasley** – Weasley Household

* * *

September **Year 1997 **Platform 9 and ¾, Kings Cross Station

* * *

Ginevra Weasley stepped out of the Ministry car onto Platform 9 and ¾ for the seventh in her life, but this time, everything is different. From security Aurors looming around, eyes out for trouble, to her mum's worried expression, and not because they were late, because they had plenty of time before Ginny had to board the train, too much time, in fact. She looked around the train yard apprehensively; it seemed way too normal to be here, with all the stuff going on. She didn't even want to come to school this year, but now that Professor _Snape_, she thought his name venomously, took over Hogwarts, attendance is mandatory. Ginny was jealous of almost all of her other brothers for not coming, _almost. _Her sixth oldest brother, Ron, was on the run this year, and although he is with Harry, Ginny wouldn't want to trade place with him for all the Galleons in the world.

How thick do they have to be to leave? Ginny thought angrily. She knew that she had to put on a brave face for Harry, that day in her bedroom, but inside she was almost breaking apart. All three of them left her under the reign of Severus Snape at now what seemed to be the worst Wizarding School in the world, all alone. Well, almost alone, there was still Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, whom Ginny knew would come because they are both pure-blood, like her. She was neutral of her blood status in the past, but now she absolutely resented it. It wasn't luck or superiority over others that allowed her to keep her wand and continue her education as a wizard; it was utter evilness of the Death Eaters, with their chief V-You-Know-Who to keep the Muggle-borns out. Ginny felt like yelling at someone, herself maybe, not just because of the injustice of the world, but because she was too afraid to say his name out loud.

You-Know-Who, He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, and any other variation of his name is a sign of cowardice, that they were too scared to admit his real name. Ginny excused herself by thinking that saying his name out loud will just cause trouble, but she knew inside that she could never say it either way. She looked miserably around the train station, her mum closely behind her. Mum had seven children, one scratched by a werewolf, one in Romania (probably the safest), one who disowned the family, one who lost his ear, one that runs a dangerous joke shop away from home, and one on the run with the most wanted wizard in the entire world, and then there's Ginny, who will at least be alive at Hogwarts, probably not safe, but alive.

"I think I'll find a compartment." Ginny said to her mum. She couldn't bear to see her looking morosely at all the other parents and their son. She lost all of them already, Ginny was the only one she had, and now she's leaving, "See you during Christmas?"

Molly Weasley nodded, she had to let her baby girl go now, "See you later dear." And almost broke into tears. She hugged Ginny tightly until they almost can't breathe, "Stay safe."

"No promises." Ginny joked, even though the atmosphere was all wrong. Everything was wrong. She was supposed to sit with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna and Neville, all of them, and laugh at their jokes, do quizzes on the Quibbler, and ignore Hermione telling them to not scare the freaky first years walking by. Instead she'll have to try and find Luna and Neville, and spend their entire train ride in silence, praying the other's safety and well-being.

She dragged her trunk around. Ginny was strong and refused the help of the Ravenclaw boys who tried to aide her. She was in no mood for flirting with other guys, not just because of the war, but because her heart belongs to one person only. Unfortunately for her, he is Undesirable Number 1 and probably half way around Britain for now, or he could be just a block away, and she won't even know. As Ginny closed the door to her compartment, she allowed herself one moment, and one moment only, of weakness. She buried her face in her hand so no one can see her cry.

"Ginny?" She heard a dreamy sort of voice from the compartment door and immediately wiped any sign of tears from her face, "Luna." She responded, because her best blonde friend's voice was unmistakable, "It's good to see you." She smiled slightly.

"Good to see you too!" Luna beamed, "It's nice to have friends, especially in a time like this."

Ginny knew that Luna's words often made people uncomfortable, but not because she was mean, Luna Lovegood was anything but, in fact. She was just eccentric, unique, and living in her own little bubble of weirdness most of the time, and Ginny half felt like she should join her, but she was the strong one, and the strong one don't accept anything but the reality and truth.

"Yes, yes it is." Ginny sighed, "Have you seen Neville?" She asked, because Neville Longbottom didn't have that many friends as well, being a round-faced boy whose magical abilities are often questioned, but he has really grown in the past two years, and became a valuable member of Dumbledore's Army. He also grew more handsome, as Ginny noticed, not that it mattered to her.

"Yeah." Luna replied, "He's offered to carry my trunk." A faint blush appeared on Luna's cheek, which sparked an interest for Ginny, but before she could say anything, Neville himself turned up at the door.

"What do you have in here Luna?" He looked out of breath and tired, "Rocks?"

"I have to pack extra stuff than most people." Luna replied airily, "Other Ravenclaws have a tendency to steal them."

Ginny felt a surge of empathy for Luna, who was constantly bullied due to her weirdness, Ginny had always been pretty popular and well liked, but it was times like these she full appreciated it.

"Chocolate frog?" Ginny offered from her bag, changing the subject as well, "Mum packed extra." And they settled into their usual conversation, way to light and careful for a train ride. They avoided mentioning Harry, Hermione, and Ron, the new headmaster Snape, Dumbledore's death, or any of the sensitive subjects. Ginny half-wanted to discuss them with her friends, but was afraid to start crying once they did.

Half way across the country side, the sky began to dim. Ginny took a break from her current game of exploding snap to look out the window. Fields and trees passed her by, with the occasional cows or barn. She knew there were Muggles residing in those farms, but she wondered if they were feeling the sudden chill she had. Then, the train stopped.

"What happened?" Ginny asked. The last time the train was stopped mid-way was in her second year, and then…

"Dementors." Neville whispered, pointing at the frost appearing on the window, then the dimming train compartment lights, "They're doing a search for Muggle-borns, I guess."

Ginny wrapped her robe tighter around her, and thought hardest of Harry. Dementors have the power to suck all of the happiness out of people, and Ginny wasn't letting go of her last memories of him. Then it struck, "Not Muggle-borns." Ginny said, "Harry." She knew that he wouldn't be stupid enough to come back to Hogwarts, but she also hoped that no one will be punished for their association with him.

The air grew colder, as Ginny felt slightly light headed. She thought of Harry as hard as she can, as well as her family: mum, dad, Fred and George, Ron, Charlie, Bill…

A scream pierced in her head, it sounded a lot like herself. She saw the ghost of Tom Riddle rising out of a diary…

No. Harry, mum, dad, Hogwarts, Dumbledore's Army…Ginny repeated the mantra inside her head…

The Ministry, the sight of Sirius dying, the Death Eaters closing in on them, Riddle's voice was cruel and high…

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Quidditch World Cup…

The battle of the astronomy tower played through her head, her family and friends' surrounds her, moments away from death. The fall of Albus Dumbledore, Riddle's cold laugh rang in her head…

Then everything went dark.

* * *

**~The Next Generation~**

* * *

"Ginny?"

Two voices spoke in unison, one light and dreamy, the other more urgent and low.

"Ginny?"

Ginny struggled to wake, but her eye lids were as heavy as sandbags. She tried to move her arm, but they sat stationary on her stomach. She didn't think they were connected to her brain any more.

"GINNY!"

Her eyes snapped open, and above her were Luna and Neville, both looking dizzy and pale. She felt a surge of dread coming over her. How come she fainted?

She remembered Harry doing the same three years ago, and felt a mixture of happiness and loneliness that she shared something along with him. She knew why she passed out, her traumatizing experience with Tom Riddle's diary had, and will, haunt her forever, while Luna and Neville didn't have anything remotely close to having Lord V-You-Know-Who controlling their mind.

"Chocolate frog?" Luna picked the last one off the pile; Ginny took it gingerly and began unwrapping it, just as a distraction, "Don't beat yourself up, this time half of the students collapsed. Most of them have been through the Death Eater attack last year, it's pretty terrible." Her airy voice never wavers. Ginny felt angry how dare they pass out over something as simple as some Death Eaters? Most of them didn't even bat an eye when she came out of the Chamber of Secrets five years ago.

"You okay?" Neville asked, steadying her and looked warily over at Luna, "You're right though, I think they were looking for Harry."

Ginny didn't reply, but continued to eat her chocolate frog, as a wave of warmness washed over her as she did.

"Just say something." Luna's eyes looked worried, as if somehow Ginny magically lost her voice during the attack. Despite the Dementors and the year ahead for them at Hogwarts, Ginny smiled.

"It's going to be a hell of a year, if Snape allowed the Dementors to be back at the school." She grinned up at her two friends, who smiled uneasily back, "Reckon we should do something about our new headmaster?"

This suggestion was met with wholehearted and wicked smiles from the two Hogwartians, as they began to discuss ideas in overthrowing the Slytherin headmaster. The aftermath of the Dementor attack faded, though not forgotten, as it was just the beginning of an unforgettable year.

* * *

August **Year 2024 **Auror Department, Ministry of Magic

* * *

"Mr. Harry Potter, please report to the conference room."

Harry's assistant Ricky was an eighteen year old just fresh off his last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but he looked quite old, and slightly odd, in his full on out suit and tie, Muggle style. Ricky was a Muggle-born, so Harry understood, but it was still a bit weird having an assistant better dressed than his is. In a way he reminded Harry of his brother-in-law Percy at that age.

"Of course." Harry replied, and began gathering up the paper on his desk. As the Head of the Auror Department, he had an office all to himself. It was a decent size, and mostly covered with newspaper clippings, files, and other evidence of the whereabouts of Dark Wizards, most people Ex-Death Eaters. Even though Voldemort fell to death over two decades ago, some of the Death Eaters are still strong. Since the mass breakout of Azkaban a few days ago, Harry hasn't slept quite right. They reported it in _the Daily Prophet_, of course, as it now promises to share every bit of news to its readers, but despite saying that everything is under control, it isn't. He felt a bit guilty lying to them, just like Cornelius Fudge did a long time ago, but he is putting together some of the best Aurors in the country, surely they'll catch them soon enough.

Half of him wishes to be out of the field looking from them, to be back on the more practical side of the Aurors, but he is more needed here, to be the leader that never corrupts, to be responsible for safety of the wizard kind, though behind a desk in an office.

"It's urgent, Mr. Potter." Ricky said, "Something about the Titanium Time Turner."

Harry's head snapped up from his work. The Titanium Time Turner? This cannot be good. There has been no Time Turners in existence since his own fifth years at Hogwarts, but just a few years ago they've found seven remaining ones in a mountain in Ireland. They weren't made out of gold like normal ones, instead titanium, and provided a longer range of time travel, as well as a setting that allows people to return to their own time. It was a dangerous thing to just be lying around out there, and so Harry had left them in the Department of Mystery, for ultimate protection. He didn't even want to think what might have happened to them.

"I'll be right there." He left his mountain of paper work and walked briskly towards the conference room, where he spots a couple of familiar faces.

"Ron!" He greeted his best friend, "Hermione, Neville, and Luna!" and turned to the last fiery little redhead, "Ginny." He said softer at his wife, "What are you doing here?"

"What are we doing here?" Ginny said outrageously, her red hair flying across her face, "The Prophecy had been filled, that's what we're doing here! They found the Time Turners!"

Harry's face turned pale. No, this can't be happening. Well, a Prophecy was a Prophecy, so he should have seen this coming, but Harry half hoped that his kids didn't have to go through with it.

"It looks like I still exist, that's a good thing." He said half-heartedly, "Let's see how long that lasts."

Ginny slapped Harry on the shoulder out of annoyance, "The Death Cult and their plans are not a joke." Her voice rising to a shrilly point, "They want to kill you while you're still untrained."

"What year did they travel back to?" Harry wondered. What if they bust the door open of Number 4 Privet Dr. and killed him when he was only five. What would Aunt Petunia think if Harry's blood had been splashed all over her perfectly clean kitchen?

"That's the weird thing." Hermione sighed, "1997."

Silence fell over the room. 1997 was the year that Harry would have started his 7th year at Hogwarts, but instead he went on a Horcrux hunt with Ron and Hermione. He was strong that year, more able to protect himself than when he was 5 and was constantly being pushed around by Dudley, why would they go back then?"

"I believe…" Hermione started slowly, "They needed you to be of age, because of the protection your mother gave you."

And that is why Hermione was the brightest witch of her age. Of course! Before the age 17, neither Death Eater nor Lord Voldemort would be able to kill him while he was at Number 4 Privet Drive, and Hogwarts was too well protected. His mother had given him protection through her love, until he become of age. Furthermore, that was the year that Dumbledore…died, which further made Harry vulnerable.

"So what do we do?" Harry asked, looking over at the rest of the lot and realizing that there is one missing from their usual party of 7, "Where's Draco?"

A pause; which makes Harry suspects the worst, "He's with them." Neville was the one who replied.

"The Death Cult." Harry sighed, "Well, I suppose his father is behind all of this."

Hermione yelped suddenly, her eyes widening to an extreme state of shock, "I saw him! Lucius Malfoy! The other day at the Ministry!" She looked positively panic stricken, "He invited me to lunch, and then had to leave because Scorpius was sick or something." Confusion came across her face, then anger, "I should have knew, Scorpius was in the training room that day. That must have been a distraction so his men could steal the Time Turner!" She sat down in a nearby chair out of shock, "I can't believe it didn't see it coming."

"What happened before isn't important." Ron comforted his wife, "The important thing is what we do now."

"I believe it's time to get our plan in action." Luna spoke for the first time. Her dreamy voice did not fade over the year, only slightly strained after her marriage with Rolf Scamander, "They're ready."

The other five looked at her with extreme shock, "They're still kids!" Ginny protested, "Lily's not even of age!"

Ginny's motherly instincts were flying off the roof. After the thing with Albus, she had been very protective over Lily and James, and only reluctantly allowed James to joined the Auror ranks, as for Lily, Ginny shook her head, she didn't even want to think about it. James has only been on a few missions, and made out of some with very bad bruises, and Lily, well, she had sneaked on to the car that lead them to a Ex-Death Eater hide out once when she was 13, and nearly died for that matter. They weren't prepared for a mission of this importance! Even if they were made out in a Prophecy.

"Neither is Hugo nor Aly." Ron commented, "And Rose, Scorpius, and Lysander only graduated this year."

"Really Luna!" Hermione shouted shrilly, "None of them are ready for a mission of this proportion!."

Luna looked calculating over at the rest of them, "They're never going to be more ready." She said, "To you guys, they're always going to be just kids, but now they can be more."

It was strange to see Luna so serious and firm, but Harry had to agree. Never will he get past the fact that Lily won't be a little girl, nor that James didn't want to play catch, and Albus…

"Easy for you to say." Ginny raised her voice at her old friend, "Lysander is only your step-son. What about the rest of us? What about our kids?"

Luna grew red hot at that statement, and Harry immediately felt a little sorry for her. If wasn't Luna's fault that she didn't have any child, but her step-son Lysander was the closest thing. Ginny couldn't say that she didn't care for the boy either.

"I don't think it's wise either." Neville sighed, "Most of them are untrained, and even with whatever extra power they have…"

"They're ready." Harry interrupted. The five other looked towards him astonishingly, "They're ready." Harry repeated, "Luna's right, waiting five years won't change anything, we'll have to act now."

The other five knew that it was no longer open for discussion. Once Harry Potter decides something, there was no turning back.


	3. II: Only Time Will Tell

**Chapter 2: Only Time Will Tell**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Diagon Alley

**S. Malfoy** – Ministry Library

**L. Potter** – Potter Household

**J. Potter** – Potter Household

**L. Scamander **– Scamander Household

**R. Weasley** – Ministry Library

**H. Weasley** – Diagon Alley

* * *

August **Year 2024 **Potter Household

* * *

"I'M BORED!"

It has been 67 days, 1208 hours, and 96 480 minutes since Lily Luna Potter last had something fun to do. More specifically, it has been 67 days, 1208 hours, and 96 480 minutes since Lily Luna Potter last has waved a wand. Being a 15 year old underage wizard isn't as fun as it sounds, and being the daughter of Harry Potter meant that she can't go anywhere alone without an overage wizard, for _safety _reasons. It wasn't like she can go anywhere fun either; Lily has been bouncing around four spots her entire summer break: her bedroom, Rose's house, the Ministry of Magic, or Grandma Molly's house. And while Grandma Molly had a mean dish of lasagna and it's usually fun to annoy Ministry workers, Lily just wasn't feeling it today.

"I'M BORED!" She shouted again, hoping some sort of god of having fun will cast upon her a sparkly golden glitter that will make her life more exciting. She couldn't wait until she was 17 and began her training as an Auror, just like James had four years ago. She couldn't wait to be able to use magic 24/7, and beat the crap out of Ex-Death Eaters everywhere.

She wasn't even sure if she was allowed to be an Auror, actually, because since…since Albus' death, she forced herself to chock down the words, even if she's just thinking about them, her dad has been really cautious. With her luck, she'll probably end up as a secretary for the Department of Care of Magical Creatures or something like that. Can you imagine the fiery red-headed and tough willed Lily Luna _Potter _sitting behind a boring desk all day? Of course not. She had to be on the field, slaying dark wizards and protecting the world. It's what she was meant to _do._

"I heard you the first time." Said a very annoyed but slightly amused voice. Lily groaned as she instantly recognizes it, James.

"Hey." She said to her oldest and only brother, "I'm bored."

"I know." James chuckled down and patted her red hair. Lily was spread across the living room sofa like a rug, in her sweatshirts and stay-at-home pants, "But dad's calling us down to the Ministry tomorrow."

Lily sat up straighter. Usually she just popped in unannounced, and dad's usually so accommodating, she had never been _called _for before.

"What do you think he wants?" Lily asked. Dad has been working overtime for the past week, trying to work on a big piece about some timer turner or something, so late that he had to sleep at the office sometimes. It usually would annoy mum to no ends, but nowadays she just looked worried.

"Maybe to put you…" He tapped her nose adoringly, "…on a mission!"

Lily's eyes bulged out, "You think?" She asked excitedly. She had once been on a reconnaissance mission a few months ago, minor stuff involving dragon egg smuggling, but it was like a drug. Once Lily had experienced it, she was hooked. She didn't think dad would let her do _anything _after Albus…after what happened to him. She hoped James wasn't just pulling her nonexistence pigtails.

"You better be serious." Lily sighed.

"It's my middle name." James joked. Lily rolled her eyes, the first time his joke was pretty funny, but after hearing it for the 34 902 576 time, it was a little too much. Still, she was glad to have him joking, which he hasn't done a lot after Albus. Lily sighed once more; it seemed that whatever she did made her think of her late brother.

"Cheer up Lil'" James said, taking her solemn face into account, "Dad sounded pretty urgent, and you know he doesn't get worked up over just anything. It'll be big, trust me."

Lily hoped James is right, and silently thanked the god of having fun that sprinkled his gold glitter down upon her. Finally, something to do!

* * *

August **Year 2024 **Diagon Alley

* * *

"Checkmate."

At a cute little ice-cream shop just next to Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley, sat two cute couples in their teen years, both were brunette, but the boy had sparkling blue eyes, and the girl with chocolate brown. They sat together closely, and anyone walking by will see them as together, but alas, they were just really great friends.

"Damn." The boy swore underneath his breath, out loud he said, "How are you so good Aly?"

Aly, the girl, smiled, her teeth shiny as pearls, "Practice, lots of practice. Mum loves chess."

Hugo gritted his teeth, "So does my dad, but I haven't won a single match today. At least let me win."

Hugo looked over once more towards his brunette companion, her eyes in suddenly sad now, no way possible for someone who had just won a brutal match of Wizard Chess. He racked his brain for the solution, then came to a conclusion, Aly's mum.

Hannah Longbottom was perky, nice, and super sweet (like most Hufflepuff), and Aly loved her, of course, _loved_ being the key word here. A few years ago Hannah and Aly's dad Neville had huge fallout, leaving a divorce and a scarred Hannah, who lost her super sunny sunshine-ness and replaced it with bitterness. Aly stayed with her mum, obviously, but sees her dad on the weekends. Hugo knew it must be hard for Aly to mention her parents at all, since that one big fight left both of her parents distant and unhappy, and she rarely talks about it, except on occasions like this when it accidentally slips out. As her best friend, it was Hugo's responsibility to divert her attention from all this and try to cheer her up.

"I got called to Uncle Harry's office for tomorrow." Hugo said, because he knew that Aly didn't want to talk about herself. It's not self-centered; it's kindness that made Hugo change the topic.

Surely enough, that picked up her spirit, "Me too!" Aly exclaimed, "I hardly go down there, what you think it's for?"

Hugo shrugged, "I heard from Lily that it might be a mission, and she heard it from James so it could be true."

All of the colours suddenly drained from Aly's face, "A-a, a m-mission?" She stuttered, "You're joking."

"Calm down Aly!" Hugo said quickly. Aly was very cautious around topics regarding the Auror Department and missions, because her dad was an Auror, the respectable Neville Longbottom, before he retired to become an Herbology teacher (one have no idea how awkward is it for Aly to endure that class), "James isn't the most reliable source you know."

Aly didn't calm at all, instead she stood up from her fancy chair at the table and nearly knocked over the stack of pawns, "No, no, no, no, no, no…" She whispered, half to herself, and half to Hugo, "How can Mr. Potter ever think that I'll be ready for a mission, that _we'll _be ready for a mission." She was now looking at Hugo, her brown eyes panicking, "We haven't even passed our OWLs yet!"

She paced around nervously, but Hugo was used to it. A spot in the Gryffindor common room was dedicated to her footsteps, retraced so many times that the hardwood floor was worn, "I would go." He muttered to himself, mostly, because Aly was in no condition to have a conversation with, but to his great surprise she did.

"You'd go?" Aly asked incredulously, "It could be incredibly dangerous Hugo, what if you got hurt?" Her eyes now turned from surprise to fear.

"I kind of want to go because it's so incredibly dangerous." Hugo sighed, "My mum and dad have done amazing things in their time, I just kind of want to…you know…live up to their potential?" He finished off lamely, because that is the most cliché reason to do anything.

"My dad killed a part of Voldemort's soul; you don't think I want to live up to that as well?" Aly asked, as if Hugo contradicted her beliefs, he just waved it off though, because Aly can be a bit of a drama queen when she's nervous, "But is risking your life the best way to do it?"

"I'm not sure…" Hugo said hesitantly, "But we don't even know the mission yet, _if _we get a mission. But I would go either way."

Aly finally sat down on her chair, looking flustered and a little bit tired from her speed pacing, she seemed to be thinking something over, then reaching a conclusion at the end, "When we get the mission…" She then corrected herself, "_If _we get the mission, and you decide to go…" Her brown eyes peering from underneath her thick eyelashes, "I'll go too."

Hugo grinned. Aly was brave, he knew that, why else would she be in Gryffindor? But he also knew that sometimes she needed a little push in the right direction, just like her father.

* * *

August **Year 2024 **Atrium, Ministry of Magic

* * *

To put it simply, Rose Weasley was not in a good mood.

She had woken up today, fresh from a long night sleep, feeling pretty good about herself, until she remembered what had happened the day before.

Scorpius, her _boyfriend _for over three years and her had a huge fight, and over the absolutely dumbest thing: Lysander, her best friend. Rose knew that having a boyfriend and a guy friend at the same time wasn't easy, but Muggle Television and her mother's encouragement had her convinced that it would work out well. Both of them were nice, smart, and ambitious; surely they could figure something out between the two.

Evidentially not, Scorpius accused Rose of _cheating _on him yesterday at a Library. A LIBRARY! That was the worst possible place to have an argument. Not only were they asked to never visit the Ministry Library ever again, but Scorpius had the nerve of breaking up with her.

Well, no, Rose thought, that part was wrong, they both sort of yelled at each other for an hour until they just decided to break up. That's the sort of problem between them, they argue too much. In theory it would mean that their relationship is never boring and always passionate, but Rose is getting tired of all the drama. Two times he went out and made her jealous with a random Hufflepuff girl in their sixth year, and once she did the same with a Ravenclaw guy. She just wanted to settle down and be _happy. _Is that too much to ask?

_Stupid boys. _Rose grumbled that morning as she struggled to get dressed. She wouldn't even be waking up this early if Uncle Harry hadn't called her down to the Ministry. She kind of hoped it was because of a job offer, since she has just been floating around since graduation, but Rose didn't see how much of help she could be in the Auror Department, a secretary maybe? Maybe Uncle Harry finally got rid of that Ricky. Rose's spirit heightened a little for that brief period of time, until she actually _arrived _at the Ministry, and saw _him_.

More accurately, _them._

"Oh no." Rose sighed. They haven't seen her yet, but were more focused on glaring at each other as they waited in line for the lift. She prayed with all her heart that Uncle Harry haven't invited them too, because that would mean that she'll be in the room with both of them at the same time, and that she was probably not getting a job offer.

"Hey Rosie!" A perky voice spoke next to her. Rose looked down at her petite cousin, Lily, who had hair just as red as her, though kept straight and in order and not wild and wavy like hers, and instead of a pair of boring blue eyes, Lily's eyes were warm brown and deep.

"Hey Lil'" Rose replied, "Your dad called you here too?"

Lily nodded, her orderly red hair swishing, "And James." She paused for a second. Rose knew why too. Lily's brother Albus had just died a few months ago in the hands of a vicious Death Eater, and though Lily is a tough girl and put on a brave face, Rose knew her well enough to say that she was probably dying on the inside. She didn't blame her, if Hugo had died, she would not show her face to the world for a whole year. Lily is much braver than she was.

"Hugo's here too, he left a bit earlier than I did though." Rose replied. She wondered why Harry gathered the six of them all together, "Wonder why."

Lily shrugged and bounced her way across the atrium towards the lift. Rose hesitated. Should she linger around in the atrium until they have gone up? No, Lily would probably get suspicious, and god knows that Lily is the nosiest person in the world. Rose felt a little angry at herself. She graduated Hogwarts as Head Girl, Prefect and an honor student from Gryffindor; surely she would muster up enough courage to walk over to two _guys._

Her high heels clicked and clacked across the glass-like floor, as she gingerly followed behind Lily's bouncy steps towards the lift. Rose half hoped that they would take off in an elevator before they got to it, but no such luck as Lily was already wavy at Lysander.

"Hey-hey!" Lily said cheerily, "I didn't know you guys were called down too!"

Even though he was addressing Lily, Scorpius' eyes remained on Rose, "I didn't know you were coming."

Lily didn't take much notice of that, she wasn't always the most detailed person, that was Rose's job. Now she wished she was anything but. Scorpius and Lysander were like a bright beam of light that Rose was trying to avoid, but it always caught in her eyes.

"Hey." She smiled towards the two of them. Of course Lysander waved back, since they weren't fighting (yet), but Scorpius just nodded. Rose felt anger rising up to the root of her ginger hair, but clenched her fist in order to not explode.

"Lift's here!" Lily chirped and stepped in. Rose braced herself for the most awkward elevator ride in her life.

* * *

August **Year 2024 **Auror Department, Ministry of Magic

* * *

Lysander didn't look the part, but he was very observant. He knew from Rose's nervous shake and Scorpius' eyes looking everywhere but her, that they were fighting. He knew he shouldn't be too happy about this, since one of his best friends was in misery, but he couldn't help but pray that they have broken up.

Of course they wouldn't have, Lysander thought bitterly, Rose would have told him if that happened, she told him everything. Every time they had a fight and Scorpius yelled at her, it was up to Lysander to clean it up. It's a wonder how they got together in the first place, with Scorpius being a Slytherin and her being a Gryffindor. Of course he was in Hufflepuff, but that made him more compatible with her.

He didn't want to think about it that much, what it would have been if she had chosen Lysander instead of him, but at these times when Rose and Scorpius has a fight, he couldn't help but to feel a little hopeful. After all, Rose did deserve someone better than a no-good Slytherin who cheats on her every other month, and fights with her for the rest. She deserved a happy ending, with all the work she had put into school work, her social life, and family, she deserved a better boyfriend too.

"What's up with them?" Another red-head whispered towards him. Lily was a whole head shorter than Lysander but he couldn't help but to feel intimidated by her sometimes, because that girl can _scream. _But right now her voice was so quiet that Rose and Scorpius two feet away couldn't hear her.

"No idea." Lysander said, but he knew that it won't be enough for Lily, "Maybe they're fighting." He tried to keep the happiness out of his voice, because best friends aren't happy when their best friend is sad.

Lily looked over calculating at them, Lysander knew that she was very observant too, perhaps more, probably. Her brown eyes narrowed towards the two and suddenly, it popped open. Lysander groaned inwardly, another one of Lily's idea was about to take place.

"Scorpius!" She shouted towards the other blonde boy, who looked a little startled, "Did you know that Rose's birthday is coming up?"

Nice try Lily, thought Lysander, Rose's birthday was in March, and it looked like Scorpius knew that too.

"It's not for a little while." He muttered, looking very uncomfortable for a second, but not as so as Rose.

"Never too early to start planning!" Lily chirped, "What'cha gonna get her?"

Scorpius casted a bewildered look at her, then a alarmed one at Rose, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I tell her right now, would it."

"So you are getting her something." Lily pressed on. Lysander chuckled on the inside; she was a clever witch, even though her marks didn't reflect that as well, "As her boyfriend, you better sweep her off her damn feet."

Now it has dawned across the both of them why Lily was suddenly interested in Scorpius' present choices, as they looked at each other for the first time since they got on the lift. Lysander watched Lily watched them expectantly, as if Rose will burst out that they are no longer an item, at least, Lysander was hoping.

Before they could get an answer out of them though, the elevator pinged, indicating them to be at Level 2. Lysander mused that it was a pretty long elevator ride for one floor, but the atrium did have a high ceiling.

"There you are!" A familiar voice spoke shrilly near the elevator; it was Ginny Potter, with her red hair flaming out over her face similarly to Lily's or Rose's, "You're late."

Lily looked bewildered, "How come you didn't tell me you were here mum?" She pouted.

"Because you were sleeping when I left." Ginny said hastily as she ushered the four of them into the Office of the Head of the Auror Department, Harry Potter's office. In there were three other people, and Lysander knew all of them. James Potter, Lily's brother, Alice 'Aly' Longbottom, and Hugo Weasley, Rose's brother.

"I assume you've all met." Harry's voice said amusingly, though it earned a harsh look from Ginny. Lysander take this as a very serious and urgent situation, "Let me get to it then."

He pointed towards three necklace thing-ys on his desk, "These are Titanium Time Turners, the most powerful time turners in the world, and as of right now, only five of them remained on Ministry record."

"Two were stolen from the Department of Mysteries just yesterday, and we have concluded the people in charge, however, we cannot arrest them." Harry's green eyes flicked at each of them. Lysander felt like he was inspecting soldiers instead of children.

"Why not?" Lily asked impatiently. As his daughter, Lysander supposed that Lily was more comfortable with talking to him like that.

"They travelled through time, obviously." Rose's voice sounded exasperated, Lily frowned at her older cousin, but didn't say anything.

"Correct." Harry replied, with no regard to the glaring contest now between the two, "More specifically, Year 1997."

The seven kids stood stone silent. Lysander racked his brain, what happened in Year 1997 that made it an important time for people to go back to? Then it dawned on him, it was supposed to be Harry Potter's seventh year at Hogwarts, except he was on the run from _him._

Lord Voldemort.

"They're a group of Death Eaters known as the Death Cult." Harry continued, "I believe is their mission to go back to when I am most vulnerable, after I became of age so I don't have my mother's protection, but before I kill Voldemort." Harry said his named casually as if talking about the weather, but the seven of them stared at him incredulously.

"None of the Aurors can go back in time to stop them." Harry said, "As they would most likely meet their former self, and that would cause plenty of trouble within the space-time continuum."

"So you need us…" Rose said slowly, as if she didn't want to clarify her theory, but she had to, "To go back in time to stop them, because we don't exist yet."

Harry nodded, "That is correct."

_The seven of us_, Lysander thought in awe, _Lily, Rose, Aly, James, Scorpius, Hugo and me, to travel back in time and protect the 17-year old Harry. _That was a mission any Auror would be dying to do, but why these seven? Lysander was quite confused, three of them were underage, and the rest were not properly trained. How could they save the world?

That prospect seemed to wash over the others as well, because now Lily was on a full out fight with her dad, as well Rose and Scorpius. Aly looked absolutely white and stricken, Hugo with a look of determination upon his face, while James just watched calculating over them all.

"I understand if any of you don't want to go on the mission." Harry shouted over the crowd, "It is dangerous, and the risks of time travelling are very great." His green eyes scanned over the crowd, "But it is very important that you seven are to complete this task."

Finally, silence, as Lily was the first to step up and accept the challenge, followed by Scorpius, slowly Rose, as Lysander stepped in too, not wanting Scorpius and Rose working on a mission alone, then Hugo, and finally Aly, looked scared but very excited.

"Alright then." Harry, "Let's get started."

* * *

**THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS GUYS! I JUST WANT TO HUG YOU ALL THROUGH THE SCREEN**

**Yep, so Hufflepuff**

**Anyways, I've been in sort of a runt lately for no apparent reason, it happens every third month on a full month, it's weird. Anyways...**

**There are a few issues I think I can address, one being Draco and his loyalties, which is one of the mysteries coming up. I say one of the mysteries because there are quite a few. I've got big plans. BIG! **

**Another thing is Albus' death, which is actually quite important when it came to later development of Lily Luna and James Sirius. So yep. I actually really like Albus, from the one chapter that JK Rowling wrote about him, he seems really interesting, but I kind of needed him to die, so...sorry.**

**There will be flashbacks featuring him, as I hope, well, more flashforwards when they've travelled back in time, but to the time travelers it will be flashbacks. It's kind of confusing me, so just go with it!**

**And thanks for waiting, so I'll share a sneak peek at the next chapter. The mission begins!**

* * *

**Chapter 3 Sneak Peek!**

"What was that?" Neville asked, jumping at the sudden noise coming from the broom closet.

"Probably Mrs. Norris." Ginny said, though not looking very convinced, "I hate that damn cat."

"I think it's the Wrackspurts, they like dark places." Luna said. She hoped that they don't travel into Neville or Ginny's heads; they can cause them to be very dizzy. Somehow she didn't think that Ginny or Neville believed her. She sighed; it's always the non-believers that get caught.

Ginny was the first one to move, towards the door slowly while taking her wands out, Luna and Neville looked at each other, and nodded to do the same. They inched closer and closer, as the dramatic tension rose. Luna felt that if Ginny just marched up there and fling the door open, it would have been much quicker, not to mention less scary, but as they tip toe slowly, she can feel the sweat dripping down her neck.

"Reckon it's not Mrs. Norris." Neville whispered as Ginny reached for the doorknob. The Neville Luna knew a few years ago would have coward behind her, but he had really grew up after Dumbledore's Army, maybe they could started again if the situation wasn't so…grim.

"Reckon not." Luna replied shakily, now Ginny was pulling the door open slowly. Luna wished that it was faster, because then she wouldn't have to go through the agony of waiting.

"Screw this dramatic tension." Ginny whispered, flung the door open, and gasped. Luna and Neville rushed to her side and peered behind the closet door.

There sat three students, two gingers and one brunette, all unconscious.

* * *

**Dun-dun-dun-dun...**

**Looks like Ginny, Luna and Neville found three of our time travelers, but whom? Hmm... Stay tuned!**

**~Lilies**


	4. III: Back in Time

**Chapter 3: Back in Time**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Auror Department

**S. Malfoy** – Auror Department

**L. Potter** – Auror Department

**J. Potter** – Auror Department

**L. Scamander **– Auror Department

**R. Weasley** – Auror Department

**H. Weasley** – Auror Department

* * *

September **Year 2024 **Auror Department, Ministry of Magic

* * *

"What game are you playing at?"

At age 21, James Potter had seen it all. He had been on the list of potential Aurors since age 7 since he first began to show sign of magic. He graduated Hogwarts with a perfect score on his Defense Against Dark Arts test. Not to mention that last week he scouted out some Death Eaters in the forest of Albania. He thought that he could have seen anything coming.

Apparently not.

"I'm not playing games with you James." His father's green eyes sparkled. James' stomach lurched; those were the same eyes as Albus, the last of his brother that James saw.

"You're not giving us much information on this." James hissed, "And you expect us, even Lily, to risk our lives for it?"

Harry looked at him calmly, but still a hint of guilt upon his face, "I know you can succeed."

"You already lost one son to the Death Eaters, you want another one? And a daughter?"

Instantly James felt horrible for saying so. It wasn't dad's fault that Albus was dead, if anyone was to blame, other than the Death Eaters, it would be James, James, who lured Albus into that trap, unintentionally, of course, but carelessly.

"I've talked it over with the others." Harry sighed, "And all of you have agreed. I don't see the problem."

"The problem is that we don't have a plan." James hissed, "You expect the seven of us, three of which are untrained and under aged, to go back over two decades in time, just to protect you and your friend's younger self? We could accidentally kill ourselves in the past. Nothing ever came good out of messing with time." James said in a big breath of rage and anger, "I thought you knew that."

Harry's eyes were stern now, not as a mission leader, but as a father, a father who understands the risks but knows that they must be done, "I would go back myself, but you know what will happen. I at 17-year old am not very emotionally stable." Harry continued, "And seeing my future self will cause all kind of chaos."

James sighed and nodded. It was true that none of the Aurors could go back in time if they were already born by the year 1997. People who have seen them own selves through time travel are general mad and crazy, they've got a whole section in the Department of Mystery about the danger of time travel and its studies, but there was still one thing not adding up.

"Why us then?" James asked, "There are plenty more qualified Aurors out there who are older, why risk the life of Lily, or Rose, or any of them?"

Harry looked at his eldest son with a look that suggest he saw this coming, and then took out a small package from his coat no bigger than a mug, and handed it to James, "Don't open this until you're over there, it'll explain everything."

He then address the whole group, most of them were anxiously pacing around the briefing room. It was in the most depth of the Auror Department, and fairly close to Harry's office. It was closed, confined, and the only way to get inside is through the permission of the Head of the Auror Department, Harry himself. Seven kids and an adult cramped inside left not many room, but somehow they all manage to find space to themselves.

"Here's the plan." Harry said, "We'll split into two teams, Team A and B. Team A will be sent to Hogwarts, where their main mission is to protect the students within."

"How can the three of us protect the students?" James saw that the speaker was Rose.

"Hogwarts is the safest place in the world; you being there will just provide extra protection to keep the students from doing anything too stupid." Harry answered, "While Team B will tracked down the 17 year old me, Hermione, and Ron, and help them on their voyage to destroy the Horcruxes. We, as to say Hermione, Ron and I, have succeeded in hiding from the Death Eaters for the first time, so you being there will be extra protection."

Harry looked over to the seven of them. He felt a wash of grieve over him. They were so young, younger than he was when he was toe-to-toe with Lord Voldemort. Too young to have the fate of the Wizarding World rest on their shoulder, he knew what it felt like, but the Prophecy, there was no other way. He just hoped that they understand, somehow, that it must be them.

In the back of Harry's mind, he knew that he was making the same mistake as Dumbledore did back in his era. He cared too much for them, his and his friend's kids, but how can he not? How can he just treat them like regular Aurors when he'll always see them as vulnerable, little kids?

"What about the trace, the one all underage wizards have?" Harry was grateful that Lily's voice broke him out of his inner grieving. She was the perfect mix between his mother and Ginny, fiery, stubborn, and impulsive, yet kind, brave, and selfless. He lost one kid to the Death Cult already, he didn't want to lose another two, but he had no choice.

"We believe that you won't be traced in the past." Harry coughed and moved on, trying to some nonchalant and like a leader, "We have a new magic in these ages that more accurately traces the use of underage magic, therefore you're not embedded with the old trace."

Lily nodded, "When are we leaving?" Her voice sounded brave, but it cracked a little. Harry closed his eyes to gather himself for a moment. Lily was just a kid, didn't even take her OWLs yet, and now she's got to save the world, "Soon."

"Two teams." He repeated, "Team A and B; make your choice."

Immediately Lily sighed up to Team B. Harry had knew that Lily thought it would be the harder of the two missions, but he also knew it was no point in trying to talk her out of it. On the other spectrum, Aly chose Team A. She wasn't as brave as he's own daughter, and Hugo falls in line with her too, dragging Rose along because she didn't dare leave him alone. He watched amusingly, then guiltily for thinking of it as amusing, as Lysander and the Malfoy boy fight over the last slot in Team A, but at the end they were both placed in Team B.

"Well?" Harry looked at his older and only son, "Chose your mission."

James looked calculating over the two, which puzzles Harry a bit because he thought for sure James would have chosen the same as Lily, not just as an extra protection towards his little sister, but also because it was the harder job of the two.

"I think I'll act as the messenger." James finally replied, "Give help whenever needed."

"That reminds me." Harry said quickly, "You'll need these, one per each group." He held out two gold coins, Galleons, same as the ones Hermione used in their fifth year in Dumbledore's Army. Surely enough, the kids recognized them and didn't need further information. Rose took the one for Team A, Scorpius for Team B.

"You still have to choose a side." Harry said to James. He wasn't stupid; he saw that James didn't want to go on a protection mission with a bunch of little kids, even when the aspect for time travelling is involved. James loved missions that will require duelling, and while this is exciting, he knew that most of the effort will be put into avoiding conflict.

"Team B." He eventually grumbled, and falls into line with Lily, Scorpius, and Lysander.

"Fine." Harry said finally, and pulling out two titanium necklaces from his robe pocket. They glistened in the dim light of the briefing room, but in the cruel way that reminds one of a silver knife, "Two time turners, both set to September 2nd, 1997 at different places, and both has only one other setting, to return back to this spot after your mission is complete."

"When will the mission be considered complete?" Rose asked.

This was the hard part, because Harry didn't know either. How long would it take for him to find the Horcruxes with the interference of them, and how long until he could be safe again in that time? He'll know in a matter of seconds, but for these kids?

"Until I kill Lord Voldemort." Harry replied, "Until the world is safe."

All seven of them nodded, and each group took a Titanium Time Turner in their hands. Each of them wore a different expression though, like Lily, who looked determined, to Aly, who looked red in the face and with an expression of going into her death sentence, and then James, who almost look…bored?

Before he could look further into it though, Scorpius and Rose were already turning the handle, a warm glow closed over them until Harry remembered an important detail.

"Don't tell you real identities to them!" Harry shouted, hoping they'd hear or at least bright enough to come up with it "Go under false alias!"

Before he could confirm that they got the message though, the seven kids were already gone.

* * *

September **Year 1997 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

A day into the new term and Luna is feeling absolutely horrible about the entire year. She had her first Dark Arts class just before lunch, and felt sick after reading about the gruesome death by Cruciatus curse. It wasn't a killing curse, no, but many wizards have committed suicide while or after the curse, just to get rid of the horrible feeling.

What's the point of it? Luna thought miserably, was You-Know-Who trying to turn them all into Death Eaters? Even under his reign, there is still need for regular people to take care of the society, they can't all wear masks and terrorize Muggles.

And what would happen if all the Muggle's die? Luna thought with a pang in her heart, and then it would move on to Muggle-borns, Half-bloods, Blood-Traitors, and then those only who pledge to be Death Eaters. Luna shudders at the thought of an entire world of darkness.

Thank god for Ginny and Neville, her only friends this year. Most of her friends from Ravenclaw (with the total count of 2) were Muggle-borns, and either locked up in Azkaban or on the run this year. When will this end? Luna thought miserably, when will Harry come back and save them all?

Ginny told her that they were on the run, which is good because if Harry was out in public he would be dead in a second, and dragged along Hermione and Ron as well. But like Ginny, Luna wished that Harry hadn't abandoned them in this hell hole, or at least told them why they were leaving, because according to Ginny, they were on a mission.

"Luna!" A familiar voice called out behind her, Luna turned to find Neville, out of breath and kind of…dirty; as in he looked like he had been in the Greenhouses all morning, which he probably had. Every one of them had taken up something to help them forget about the tragic they're in, Neville helped Professor Sprout with the plants, Ginny tutored younger Gryffindor on defensive spells, and Luna took up painting. She was working on this one of Ginny, Neville, Harry, Hermione and Ron. She was planning to send it back to daddy's before Christmas so she can have something to look forward to. Only trouble she's having to mixing the right color brown for Neville's eyes, which she always did too dim or dark.

"Hey Neville." Her own dreamy voice rang; they stopped in middle of the hallway, in the midst of a bunch of nervous little first years. Luna felt very sorry for them, looking forward to Hogwarts for so long, and ending up with…whatever this was, she hoped they weren't studying the Cruciatus curse yet, "We should move…"

"Yeah." Said Neville awkwardly, as they walked towards a more subdued hallway. "How's life." He asked just as awkwardly.

"Good." Luna replied, staring him directly in the eye, "How would you describe your eye colour?" She asked, "I'm doing a painting of you."

Neville looked surprised and slightly panicked, "Oh!" He jumped, "That's nice of you." His cheeks were reddened, "Brown I guess."

"I know it's brown." Luna continued, "But I'm having trouble with the right shade. Have anyone ever done a painting of you before? Maybe I could ask them?"

Luna knew that she was known for being eccentric at Hogwarts, but she hardly knew why. She just said whatever she needed to say, but she guessed that sometimes it came out wrong, like right now, because Neville looked very uncomfortable. She wished she could figure out why, Luna didn't like this.

"What's up?" Said another voice. Both Luna and Neville jumped at it, and turned to find their fiery little friend Ginny, looking very exhausted, "Just came from Transfiguration. McGonagall was nice enough, but still no less homework." She groaned, "I thought it would be over after the OWLs!"

"Right." snickered Neville, who was a 7th year and therefore knew a lot more than Luna or Ginny did about the curriculum, "They don't give it up until the NEWTs!"

"Whatever." Ginny sighed, "What were you two talking about?"

"I was doing a painting, of the five of you guys, and I had to ask what colour Neville's eyes were, because I couldn't mix it right." Luna replied. Neville looked puzzled at this, but not as much as Ginny.

"The five of us…" She said, "You mean…"

"Yup." Luna replied, "I think I got yours perfectly, though I can't show you because it's a pretty big canvas and I can't bring it out of the dormitory without help. Then she suddenly realized something, "You think the owls could carry it?"

Ginny laughed, "I'm sure they'll manage, if you send three at once." Then her face turned more seriously, "You do know they're checking all mails in and out, right?"

"So…" Luna dragged on, unsure of what her ginger friend was saying.

"Once they see the content of your painting, with _him _on it, you'll be in some big trouble." Ginny said warily. Luna knew she missed having Harry around, after their somewhat mutual breakup last year, and it must be more painful for her to not even be allowed to say his _name._

"You told me you were doing a painting of me." Neville said in confusion.

"I was." Luna said, "Of all five of you."

That did not clear things up for Neville at all.

"Okay then…" Ginny said, half amused and half weirded out, "Wanna grab some lunch or…?" _creak._

"What was that?" Neville asked, jumping at the sudden noise coming from the broom closet.

"Probably Mrs. Norris." Ginny said, though not looking very convinced, "I hate that damn cat."

"I think it's the Wrackspurts, they like dark places." Luna said. She hoped that they don't travel into Neville or Ginny's heads; they can cause them to be very dizzy. Somehow she didn't think that Ginny or Neville believed her. She sighed; it's always the non-believers that get caught.

Ginny was the first one to move, towards the door slowly while taking her wands out, Luna and Neville looked at each other, and nodded to do the same. They inched closer and closer, as the dramatic tension rose. Luna felt that if Ginny just marched up there and fling the door open, it would have been much quicker, not to mention less scary, but as they tip toe slowly, she can feel the sweat dripping down her neck.

"Reckon it's not Mrs. Norris." Neville whispered as Ginny reached for the doorknob. The Neville Luna knew a few years ago would have coward behind her, but he had really grew up after Dumbledore's Army, maybe they could started again if the situation wasn't so…grim.

"Reckon not." Luna replied shakily, now Ginny was pulling the door open slowly. Luna wished that it was faster, because then she wouldn't have to go through the agony of waiting.

"Screw this dramatic tension." Ginny whispered, flung the door open, and gasped. Luna and Neville rushed to her side and peered behind the closet door.

There sat three students, two gingers and one brunette, all unconscious.

* * *

September **Year 1997 **12 Grimmauld Place

* * *

Three 7th year looking wizards sat around the breakfast table in a dark and dim house. A House-Elf waited on them as they ate their sausage silently. It was grim, as it should be in a time like this, a time which Voldemort was in power and no wizard was safe, especially the blacked haired one at this particular house.

"Harry." The girl with bushy brown hair and brown eyes spoke up, cutting the silence, "You've got to eat something."

Harry Potter did not reply, but continue to play with his food. The ginger on his right, however, ate his sausages vigorously and hungrily, like he'll never have another meal again.

"It's really good Harry." The ginger said between mouthfuls, "Bless the House-Elf, to think I once dreamt of drowning him." Then off the glare from the brunette girl, he corrected himself, "Not literally, of course." He added hastily, "That would be cruel."

"Nice save Ron." The brunette said sarcastically, and then returns her attention on the green eyed boy, "You've got to keep up your energy for today Harry, it's not like we're just strolling into the Ministry, and they'll be looking for you."

"Wow Hermione." Harry finally spoke, "You think I haven't thought of that?"

"Then eat." Hermione Granger spoke more forcibly this time, "Kreacher have gone through trouble to make you a lovely breakfast, at least be polite and choke it down."

"Blimey Hermione!" Ron said, despite not being in the conversation, "Kreacher _likes _it, don't you see. Don't tell me you're keeping up with SPEW!"

"Of course not!" Hermione's face grew red, "But not because I gave up the cause, Ronald, but because we're in no state to start a House-Elf right organization, but I swear, once this is over…"

"It'll never be over." Harry said miserably, "We might get the Horcrux today, we might not, but either way, we're no closer into defeating _him_."

Hermione looked horrific at this statement, and Ron managed to put down his sausage for the first time since he picked it up, "You don't mean that Harry." Hermione whispered, "We'll defeat him, I know we will!"

"Maybe we can help with that."

Harry, Ron and Hermione turned at once towards that voice, which neither of them recognized.

* * *

**AND THE MISSION BEGINS!**

**DUH-DUH-DUH!**

**YEAH!**

**R and R, F and F!**

**~Lilies**


	5. IV: A Stitch In Time Saves Nine

**Chapter 4: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – 12 Grimmauld Place

**L. Potter** – 12 Grimmauld Place

**J. Potter** – Unknown

**L. Scamander **– 12 Grimmauld Place

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

September **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"Oh dear, oh dear."

Ginny paced around and around the corridor, wearing the hardwood floor with only the sole of her shoes. Why were there three unconscious students in the closet? They were all in Gryffindor, and one looked like she might be in her year. She would have recognized them, surely, if they had been in her house for over five years.

She looked over towards Luna and Neville, who remained at their spot a little behind Ginny this whole time. She couldn't understand why they were so quiet; there were three FREAKIN' UNCONSCIOUS PEOPLE on their hands.

"Should we wake them up?" Luna finally spoke, and tipsily walked over closer to the closet door, "They might be hurt."

"I just hope they don't think that we knocked them out." Neville sighed, "Reckon we should wake them though."

The three exchanged glances, half daring the others to go on. It was Ginny that made the first move, of course, as she lightly tapped the older girl's shoulder.

"Wake up." She whispered fiercely. Ginny half wished that the girl wouldn't open her eyes, because that's when it'll get really complicated. "Wake up."

The older girl had red hair like hers, except while Ginny's was tight in a ponytail, a school regulation now, the girl's was wavy and loose, hanging around her face. She didn't open her eyes, but if Ginny had to guess, her eyes would be warm brown, like her own. The younger boy looked similar as well, and the most different had to be the brunette girl in the back, with her hair in two loose braids that were coming undone. Ginny tried her hardest to analyze their clothes to see maybe they'll get some idea of where they came from, but their freshly pressed uniform suggested nothing other than the fact that they were students here.

"Wake up!" Ginny said a bit louder, and the red-haired girl began to stir, her eyes opened slightly (Ginny was wrong, they were blue instead), and jumped. Ginny jumped as well, as they stared at each other incredulously.

"It's okay." Luna cut in; she was always better at speaking softly anyways, Ginny mused, "We won't hurt you."

But the ginger didn't look as if that thought crossed her mind; instead she looked as if she was almost expecting this. Over her neck there was a necklace made out of a shiny silvery material that Ginny vaguely remembered seeing somewhere else, but the ginger girl stuffed it down her Gryffindor robe before Ginny could get a good look at it.

"Where am I?" The girl said, and looked over to her two other companions, "Come on!" She shouted at the two, and both of them woke, and wearing the expectant face as well. Now Ginny was really confused. What respectable Gryffindor expects to wake up in a broom closet just before lunch?

"I'm Neville Longbottom." Neville finally spoke to the three Gryffindors, his voice shaking slightly. Ginny sighed as she helped them up, Neville had grown over the last few years, but he still wasn't that gutsy.

"Rose Weas-Wellington." The girl stuttered, "My brother Hugo." She pointed at the boy, "And half-sister Aly."

Ginny had the strangest idea that they weren't telling the truth, as Rose was playing with the hem of her skirt, but she brushed it off and moved on to a more pressing issue, "What are you doing in the closet?"

Aly, the brunette girl, shuffled her feet across the floor; Hugo looked nervously over at his older sister. Clearly it was Rose that was in charge over the trio. "Last time I remember were some Slytherins coming over, after that…" Rose gestured to the closet, "You get the drift."

"That's awful." Luna sympathized, "I wonder what they need of you to be in a damp little closet. It didn't look very comfortable."

Ginny smiled sadly towards her blonde friend. Luna was always so nice and sweet, it wasn't fair that her eccentric-ness made her a victim for so many of the bullies, even the girls of her own house. Ginny had a pretty good rep among the Hogwarts girls, and tried to look over Luna as much as possible, but it was hard when Luna's innocence caused her to overlook a lot of meanness that some students possess.

"New students?" Neville asked, "I suppose you were homeschooled before then."

Rose smiled sadly, "We had always wanted to come to Hogwarts, but not like this though."

Something doesn't add up here though, thought Ginny, all the new students arrived yesterday along with the old ones, and they were placed through the Sorting Hat, which was silenced from singing his song and had to resort to only shouting out the name of the house the student was placed in. Rose, Hugo, and Aly should have been there, unless the three of them all magically were sick on the same day, and somehow got better today, a day into the term. Also, they were way too nonchalant about the Slytherins stuffing them into a box of a closet for a pair of Gryffindors. Not to mention there was something about them that looked very familiar; scarily familiar actually.

She narrowed the eye at the three new students, and examined them. While Rose and Hugo were definitely brothers and sisters, Aly's gesture towards them were not as close. Of course, there was a chance that their parents only recently married or something, but then why did they all travel together after class in they weren't very familiar?

"Wanna go to lunch with us?" Ginny asked never the less, because the only way she'll be able to question them is if she gain their trust first, "I'm Ginny Weasley by the way."

"Luna Lovegood." Luna piped behind Ginny, and extended a hand towards Aly, who shook it gingerly, while looking over at Neville, "Ravenclaw, so I'm afraid I can't eat with you guys."

"Don't be silly Luna." Neville said, "I don't think separating by house will do us any good."

"It's time like these that we should really stick together." Rose added.

"I suppose so." Luna said cheerfully, "I just hope I don't stick out too much in my Ravenclaw robes."

* * *

September **Year 1997 **12 Grimmauld Place

* * *

"Do we actually have a plan?"

Lily Luna Potter was in the oddest of all places. Stuck between her cousin's boyfriend and best friend definitely isn't what she thought this mission would be like, not to mention her missing brother. But Lily had the tolerance of an ox, at least, she likes to think she had, she never actually met an ox, though there was a cow at the South of France mission in 3rd Year. Anyways, she hate to play peace maker, but between the two of them, Lysander and Scorpius, looks like she'll have to make do.

"Nope." Lily replied to Scorpius' question, "You're the leader, aren't you."

"Since when is he the leader?" Lysander asked.

"Fine, I'm the leader." Lily cut them both of them off. It had been an hour since they had arrived in Year 1997, and through that time she had met her father's younger self, got tied up to a chair along with Lysander and Scorpius by her Aunt Hermione, and broke up a fight between Scorpius and Lysander over Rose's favourite flower (as if it wasn't obvious). None of them had much to say, maybe because they weren't sure with what to do of the three teenagers that randomly arrived at their 'secured' house. The trio were quietly discussing what to do upstairs, while Kreacher watched over the time travelers with such dislike that Lily tasted sour lemons in her mouth.

"Where's James?" Lysander whispered fiercely at her, "I thought he was on our team."

"Apparently not because he is gone!" Lily replied. Don't they know that she notice her MISSING brother as well? She thought anxiously of where he might be, but doesn't draw a clue. "I don't keep track of my brother's every movement you know." She said bitterly, though she really should.

"Though you really should." Now Scorpius was whispering to her, "Time Travelling is very dangerous activity." He looked down at the Titanium Time Turner over his neck, which was actually under his shirt. Lily was grateful for his quick thinking, because Aunt Hermione would have definitely recognized it, having used one for a whole year to take extra classes of all things (and rescue her dad's godfather, but still)

"I'll try and send a message to Rose as soon as I can." Lily said, feeling the messaging Galleon in her pocket. Instantly she regretted saying her name, because that resumed that glaring between Lysander and Scorpius once more.

"Come on! We're on a mission, be a little professional!" A bit rich coming from her, since Lily had once tried to owl Rose on a mission and nearly got them captured. But now, she had to play the rational and sane one, her, a 5th year still underage compared to two of age wizards who are Auror in Training. Lily sighed; love can make people do really stupid things.

"Fine." The boys sighed, giving her a little peace and quiet to think at last, "I say we can tell them about the time travelling." Lily said off their silence, "But we don't tell them who we are."

"False alias." Lysander said, "I'm cool with that."

"Well I'm not." Scorpius contradicted, Lily rolled her eyes, what else was new? "I don't think we should tell them anything."

"Good luck trying to protect them when we're out on the street, because they'll kick us out if they don't trust us." Lily argued. Scorpius is known for his stubbornness, but Lily wasn't anything if not persuasive. "Give me the time turner!"

Scorpius looked scandalized, which Lily mused was a funny look on the blonde Slytherin, "I'm the leader of this group, since James bailed out."

"And now I'm the leader, since you two can't keep your mouth flaps shut about a girl." Lily retorted, "Had. It. Over."

Begrudgingly, Scorpius scooted his chair over so that he could hand off the Time Turner. Lily smiled at the small victory, and stuffed it down her Muggle jeans.

"We've talked it over." Aunt Hermione's shrilly voice startled the trio as they turned towards her. She hasn't really changed in the future, but perhaps her hair was a little lighter and more manageable, and she definitely mellows with age, "And we've agreed to hear you side of the story, but any funny business." Hermione glared at the lot, "And you'll be sorry."

Lily blinked twice at her aunt, then uncle, and finally, her dad, who looked more worn than her dad in the future, present, whatever, and that's saying something. She took a deep breath and nodded towards the other blonde boys. It was time.

"We're time travelers." She said firmly, and watched the shock overcoming the 17 year olds. More disbelief actually, as her dad, Harry, narrowed his eyes down skeptically.

"We even have a time turner!" She took the locket out of her hand and watches them watch it glitter in the dim kitchen light of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Lily could tell that they were suspicious. She would be too if she was in their place, but it's crucial that Harry, Ron and Hermione trusted them, "Come on." Lily smiled the best she can, but she wasn't much of a smile-r, "You can trust us."

In retrospect, that wasn't the best thing to say to someone in order to convince them to trust her, but it was the best she's got, "We've got a time turner, and we can tell you exactly what went down in your seventh year if you let us."

"No spoilers!" Uncle Ron protested. Lily smiled at her favourite uncle. He was always the funny one, after Uncle George of course, but then he'll get these really quiet moments sometimes, where Lily reckons he thought about his brother, Fred. She gets that though.

"It's bound to change now that we're here anyways." Lysander sighed, "I don't think our Harry Potter remembers three teenagers bursting through the door when he was 17."

At the mention of Lily's dad name, Harry stepped up, "You know us in the future?" He asked, "So we live through this."

Lily, Scorpius and Lysander exchanged weird glances, that wouldn't be too terrible a spoiler, right? It'll probably give Harry enough hope to go on, which would be better for the mission.

"Yeah." Lysander answered finally, "You live through this and end the war. Not telling when though."

That was enough for Harry though, as he visibly relaxed, Aunt Hermione though, was another story. Lily saw that her facial expression was unwavering, she was used to it though, having visited her every vacation.

"We know we're telling the truth." Lily looked Hermione straight in the eye, "And we will try the hardest to convince you so, but we have nothing to hide."

Wrong, they could find out that Lily is Harry's daughter, and that Scorpius is a descendent of the Malfoys, or that Lysander is Luna's step-son, which would no doubt mess up the time-space continuum more than they already have, but their mission was true, now they hope that Hermione believed so.

Hermione gestured Harry and Ron towards the enclosed area, as they whispered some more, Lily took this chance to further her leadership and made up false alias for the lot of them.

"Lacey Peterson." She pointed at herself, "My father died during the war, and I'm 17."

Lysander snorted, which Lily would have hit him if he was closer, but sadly she was all tied up in the chair, she looked over to Scorpius instead, "Samuel Malone, 19." And then at Lysander again, "Lenny Smith, 19."

"Real creative with the names Lacey." Lysander said wryly, "They don't even have the same initials as our real ones, oh wait…" He pretended to think for a moment, "They do."

Lily glared towards Lysander. Wasn't he just on her side moments ago? He is so changeable it was weird. Scorpius didn't say anything as his eyes was trained on the other trio by the door. Lily wondered what he could be thinking of. Probably of Rose, as her parents are close, but maybe of his own family as well? Harry, well, dad Harry, had said that Scorpius' dad Draco Malfoy was part of the Death Cult now, which made everything worse for Scorpius. It must be hard for him, growing up in a pureblood supreme family while dating a Gryffindor with a Muggle-born mother. He made it worse by joining the Aurors. In a way, Lily admired Scorpius' rebellion against his family for what is right, but no way in the hell would she ever want to be him. She looked towards her own father, and was happy to think that she's doing what she can to protect him.

"We're leaving to the Ministry." Hermione concluded, "We'll be back by mid-afternoon."

"No you won't." Lysander had to cut in, "Yaxley the Death Eater will grab hold of you and see this place, we'll have to meet you at the countryside."

Hermione looked beyond frustrated that Lily thought it was funny. It was like when Uncle Ron corrected her on a fact last Christmas dinner. She hates being wrong, though she usually never is.

"Fine!" Hermione said exasperatedly, "FINE!" Aunt Hermione wasn't the best at interrogating, Lily noted, and it probably got on her nerve how strict Lily was sticking on to her story. She hopes that it means the trio believed her, which would make this mission go a lot smoother.

Lily, Scorpius and Lysander watched until Harry, Ron and Hermione left the house before trying to free themselves from the chair, although Kreacher was given instructions to keep them in check, presumably, Scorpius' neat Petrificus Totalus curse made him stiff and Lily sat him down by the stairs.

"What's the plan?" Lysander asked. The two boys looked towards Lily. She felt a rush of gratitude towards them, but then remembered that she doesn't _do _gratitude, and cleared her voice.

"We wait." She said simply, "Perhaps they won't be captured by Yaxley after all, now that we warned them about it."

"And if they do?" Scorpius asked. Lily smiled slightly. It's very weird having two respectable 17 year old asking her for her opinion, but she suppose that they knew that she has the more level head of all three of them, at least for now.

"We'll find them by the country side." Lily replied, "Hopefully the Death Cults aren't ahead of us."

* * *

September **Year 1997 **Malfoy Manor

* * *

"It's good to be home."

Lucius Malfoy stepped just outside his own mansion door, but this time he knew who would be inside, the Dark Lord, still alive and in full power. Lucius knew that this mission would be trouble; after all, it will be very hard to convince the Dark Lord that they were actually from the future and have nothing but full loyalty towards him. He'd be willing for the Dark Lord to perform Legilimency on him. He had nothing to hide.

"Jeremiah." He gestured towards his brown haired fellow Death Eater, "Open the gate."

"Don't mind me asking Malfoy." Jeremiah sneered, "But how do you think you would react if you saw yourself in the future."

Lucius scrawled. Jeremiah had met them across the journey and convinced them that he should join their ranks, and a big mistake that was. Jeremiah was nothing but a big know-it-all with all these ideas about time travelling, but he was knowledgeable, so Lucius took him under his wings. Maybe he'll be helpful later on.

"I don't know if you notice Philippe." Jeremiah's last name bitter on his lips, "But I am me, and therefore I know exactly how I will react. Trust me when I say I know how to make myself believe."

"There's a tongue twister." Jeremiah smirked, "Let's get on with it, shall we?"

Lucius smiled overly pleasant at his Death Eater friend, "We shall."

And they stepped into the big mansion in the moonlight.

* * *

**So I somehow messed up, and didn't upload this chapter, huh...anyways, this is kind of important, just in case you were confused about Chapter 5...**

**~Lilies**


	6. V: The Clock Ticks

**Chapter 5: The Clock Ticks**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Britain Countryside

**L. Potter** – Britain Countryside

**J. Potter** – Unknown, Pending MIA

**L. Scamander **– Britain Countryside

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

October **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

Luna Lovegood is known for two things, one, her oddity personality, and two, her ability to tell what others are thinking. It stemmed when she was observing most of her classmate, a habit that stuck when she had been left alone by herself most of the time. She didn't think it was pitiful that she didn't have any friends, quite the opposite in fact, she thought it was better. It was so much easier when not caught in middle of gossip, and it's much more interesting to observe.

Currently, she was sitting next to Ginny and Neville in the library with their new found friends, Rose, Hugo, and Aly. They got along quite well, considering that they were found knocked out in a closet. Luna found it curious that Rose, Hugo, and Aly always stuck together from the morning when they would appear at the Gryffindor table, to the night when they disappear into the dormitory. Ginny swore that she never saw Rose in her dorm before, but a simple explanation was given by Rose that she was indeed, one year above her, very quick to complete her magical education, while Aly and Hugo are one below, in fifth year with approaching OWLs, which were sure to be terrible with the Carrows and Snape in charge. Luna perceived that Ginny didn't quite buy into that.

"I say we plan a little rebellion." Ginny said to Luna through her textbook, under the watchful eyes of Madam Pince, who was grumpier than usual after the Carrows did a full sweep of the library and left many books out of order, "Maybe steal something precious from Snape's office?"

Luna and Neville looked towards Ginny curiously, while Rose, Hugo, and Aly exchanged nervous glances. "How specific." Rose said slowly, "As if you thought of this before."

Ginny casted a dark look at Rose, Luna had the slightest idea that Ginny didn't like Rose a lot, or at least is still suspicious even though Neville and Luna had long given up the interrogation. Perhaps because Ginny was more stubborn than the two or perhaps Luna just want to see the best in people more.

"This is top secret, perhaps Order related stuff." Ginny whispered, mainly towards Luna and Neville, "The Minister visited, uh, my brother and his friends just before Bill and Fleur's wedding."

Luna and Neville nodded. Translation: there was something Rufus Scrimgeour had something he wanted to talk about to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Rose, Hugo and Aly nodded as well, which seemed strange considering that they never even met the trio. Ginny thought so as well, as it would seem, because she narrowed her eyes at them.

"What do you know about my brother and his friends?" Ginny asked defensively. Luna could see why, it was always suspicious when seemingly strangers know something about your family.

"I know that his friend was in the Triwizard Tournament." Rose said quickly, "I read the magazines, you know."

Ginny didn't seem to be convinced, and neither did Luna. She couldn't help but trust the three, even though they haven't given her a lot of reason to do so. Luna sensed sort of a nervous aura around them, not likely that they were secret Death Eaters. She also noticed they seem to be mostly around Rose, as she has a lot of Wrackspurts in her head. Perhaps Luna can talk to her and help her get rid of a few.

"Fine." Ginny smiled feigned, "I'll buy that."

"It's true." Aly insisted, though in a small voice. Over the course of a few weeks, Luna has kind of got a hold of their personalities. Rose was the leader, smart, and ambitious, kind of like Hermione, Aly was shy and in the background, probably due to the fact that she wasn't related by blood to the two of them, but she seemed friendly with Hugo, who was the funny and happy-go-lucky one.

"As I was saying…" Ginny continued, "The Big D left our friend an inheritance, which is currently in our beloved Headmaster's office." She said the word 'beloved' venomously, away from the ear of nearby Slytherins and Madam Pince, "I say we retrieve that object to save our friends the trouble."

Translation: Dumbledore has left Harry an inheritance, but for some reason it remained in the school, with Snape. Luna started ticking off all the possible objects which Dumbledore would give to Harry. She has never been to the headmaster's office though, so that job was pretty much impossible.

"What is it?" Hugo asked eagerly. Luna noted that, he also seems to be quick to adventure.

"The thing our friend used to save me from a snake in his second year." Ginny whispered. Her voice was failing now, and not as harsh as it seemed a few moments ago. Luna remembered how much Ginny fancied Harry back then, and never thought that Harry would fancy her back, and then he did. But You-Know-Who ruined everything.

He always ruins everything.

"The thing that belonged to Gryffindor?" Neville asked?

"Wait a second." Rose interrupted Neville, Luna felt a twinge of annoyance towards her, but brush it off because she clearly seemed to be in a horrible state of late, "You're not speaking in codes very well, you know that right? Anyone who overhears will be able to tell what we're talking about."

Ginny's face then became very red, "I don't believe I asked for your opinion, Rose." Her tone as same as whenever she mentioned Snape, "I would think that someone who isn't as obsessed about Harry as _you_ would not have figure it out quite so _easily_, or care too much."

That does it, Ginny said the H word, and the entire table is now quiet. Saying 'him', 'he', or 'the friend', was so much easier than saying Harry's name. Rose looked very guilty on provoking Ginny to say so. Luna didn't bother wondering how Rose knew about Ginny and Harry, but there was probably a _Witch Weekly_ article about it somewhere. Her concentration was now focused on her red-haired friend (that description not working very well because now she has thee red-haired friend, four counting the one that is missing). Ginny looked as if she was on the verge of tears, which was scary for anyone that knew her. Absence makes the heart grew founder was definitely correct, because Luna had seen Ginny say Harry a couple of time in the beginning of the year, and it hasn't been such an effect on her yet. Luna knew that Ginny was strong, emotionally, more than anyone she knew, but everyone has their weakness.

"I'm sorry Ginny." Rose apologized repeatedly, but Ginny just waved it off.

"I'm fine." Ginny said harshly, "Let's get back to planning. I'm feeling in the mood for _revenge_."

No one mentioned him again, and their attention was diverted to making plans to rob Snape's office for the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. But Luna knew that Harry was still on Ginny's mind, he's on all their minds, and will remain there until they know for sure he'll be safe.

The question is; when will that be?

* * *

**~Operation Time Turner~**

* * *

Alice Longbottom always blended into the crowd rather than standing out, ever since her father had left them two years ago. She always questioned why, as she heard stories about him. He was a happy men, they said, a brave man who slayed part of Voldemort's soul. Why would there be a reason to run away?

Aly had to admit it, part of the reason she took up on the mission was to see her father again, in his prime, all happy and not busy with work. She knew that when people are upset, they cope with different methods, and it turns out that her coping mechanism was the same as her father, working. Sweat and labour of any type, busying their hands and brains so they won't think of anything else. Ever reading a book is better than doing nothing. Aly resented that about herself and her father though, they both sort of avoid their problems, numbing their pain until it comes back on ten times stronger.

She had hoped that when she travelled back in time, she'll be able to see a different side of her father, but whatever she was expecting, it wasn't this. He wasn't particularly popular or brave, or anything really. He was friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Ginny and Luna, but he seems always to be the person that's always, just…there

He was like her.

"Have you ever sort of taking up sword fighting?"

After their meeting with Ginny and the gang, Rose and Hugo had gone outside or something to work on further plans, their mission, not Ginny's, while Luna retreated back to the Ravenclaw Tower and Ginny did likewise to hers, leaving Aly and Neville alone. She had been itching for an opportunity like this, to talk to her father _personally._

"Why would I do that?" Neville asked, "I'm sort of clumsy, probably will stab myself to death."

Aly pursed her lips. His lack of self-confidence is getting to her a little. Doesn't he know how awesome he was? Will be? Why does Neville feel the need to hide behind a curtain of self-loathing?

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Then she corrected herself because she's beginning to sound like a crazed fangirl instead of a concerned daughter, both of which past Neville is definitely not used to having.

"Thanks Aly." He said, not really focusing on her and instead at her books. It was like a huge déjà vu for Aly. She remembered her 10 year old self begging her dad to play dollies or catch with her, but he would always be busy at work, or to fight with her mum. She forced back her tears. Past, or present, Neville had no idea who she is, and it was to stay that way.

But she had to say something to him. Anything really, that would make him notice her more, anything that might make up for a childhood of neglect.

"The Sword in Snape's office isn't real."

Well, that wasn't at all what Aly was going for, but it did have the desire effect. Neville was now paying attention to her wholeheartedly.

"WHAT!" He's eye bulging out. Aly have seen that only when he was really surprised at something, but it came out as a shock because he always seemed very neutral.

"Uhh…don't waste your efforts, the sword isn't real." She completed her sentence. She knew that they would fail to get the sword, no matter what length they went to, maybe this was for the best.

"How do _you_ know that?" Neville asked suspiciously, looking scarily like Ginny for a second, "What do _you_ know about the sword?"

Aly racked her brain for an answer, any answer. She wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, maybe a sunset orange compared to the smart golden yellows, but this was pretty much between life and death here, so she had to think of _something. _

"My family is of goblin descendent." She answered finally, "I noticed the sword when I was in Snape's office earlier in the year…" And off of his silence, she continued, thinking it was a good thing, "…since I arrived late into the semester."

Somewhat of a lame excuse, but Aly hoped it would be enough. Neville examined her closely, probably trying to see if she resembled anything like a goblin. It made Aly's skin jump, maybe if he looked closely enough, he'll see that Aly had his eyes, chin, hair, and lips, and make the conclusion they so desperately tried to avoid.

"Well…" Neville started, Aly drew in a breath. Would he take the bait? "…I guess we'll have to ask an expert."

"What?"

"You're not the only one with goblin descendent in this school." Neville grinned good naturally, "If we find someone else to take a look at the sword, maybe we can confirm the theory."

Aly smiled widely at her father out of relief. She wasn't doomed. Of course she'll have to answer to Rose later on when he calls off the mission, but at least she didn't blow her cover. Aly had to be more careful from now on.

"See you later Aly." He patted her hair slightly, the way her dad haven't done since Aly was five, and went to Madam Pince to check out his books on Magical Plants of the 8th Century or something. Aly's grin stayed upon her face as she flipped through a book nearby, too good of a mood to do much of anything else.

"What happened?"

Instantly her grin was whipped off, she knew that voice, the voice she hoped she didn't have to hear until at least another day. She sighed as she closed her chapter on Emeric the Evil and faced the ginger haired girl.

"Hey Rosie." She smiled widely, too widely in fact, "Is that a new shirt?"

Rose looked down at her uniform and then returned a 'nice try' look over at Aly, "I just bumped into Neville and he just told me the mission was off." Her voice shrilly like her mothers, "Care to explain how he just happens to know the Sword of Gryffindor was fake?"

Aly sighed. There was no way around it, was it. Rose was with Hugo up until a few minutes ago, there was only one person who could've told Neville, and she was right in line of fire of the infamous Rose Weasley temper.

"I didn't want him to get hurt." Aly said slowly off of Rose's reddening ears, "They crucio people who step out of line here, Rose, you know that."

Rose sighed a huge breath of disbelief, as Aly cringed, expecting the worst. "Haven't you read _The Adventure of Harry Potter, Volume 7?" _She said. Well, Aly wasn't expecting this, "When Neville, Luna and Ginny got caught stealing the Sword of Gryffindor; they were sent to detention with Hagrid!"

Well, Aly blinked, that just made her look totally stupid. But still, was she supposed to remember every single word in those books?

"That's how Harry, Ron and Hermione learnt the sword was fake!" Rose pinched her nose out of frustration, "Honestly Aly!"

Aly hated how Rose always made her feel stupid, just because she was younger, less experienced, and didn't read as much books as she did. However, she wasn't that close to Rose as she was to Hugo, which meant she couldn't lash out on Rose without their fragile relationship being broken into pieces. Aly sighed, the best she can do is to convince that the damage is quite small.

"Lily, Scorpius and Lysander are over there, I'm sure they can find a way to tell Harry, Ron and Hermione what they need to." Aly said reassuringly, but somehow that just made Rose's ear redder. It wasn't very attractive, but thankfully nobody bothered to stay at the library on a Saturday afternoon.

It did have the desirable effect on Rose though, because now she at least wasn't yelling. However, it did have the side effect of quiet Rose, which Aly knew from personal experience to be just as scary.

"Yeah, sure. I'll send a message to tell them to do that." She sighed, "Just one thing though Aly."

Aly looked up at her ginger older team leader, and saw someone who was very tired from the war. Was it supposed to be this way? Barely of age wizards fighting against the world?

"Yeah?"

"The universe wants things to work out one way, I'm sure you know that." Rose said, "And you just can't mess it up! If your d-Neville got hurt, it was because he was meant to."

"He doesn't deserve it." Aly protested. Her dad was a good man, despite what he did. She knew of his heroics, she just never saw it.

"I know, but it's the way things works." Rose said convincingly, "He is supposed to slay Nagini, and then grow up to be an Auror, marry your mum, and…"

"Leave us after over a decade of unhappy marriage." Aly said bitterly.

Rose looked at Aly calculatingly, as if realizing why she was doing this for the first time, "Are you trying to convince them to stay together?" Rose asked, "Because I think we're too far back in time for that."

Aly shuffled her feet, she wasn't sure what she wanted, "He was always unhappy when he's with my mum…I don't want him to stay unhappy."

Suddenly, Rose looked alarmed, "Are you staying you don't want them to get together?" Her voice rising. "You know the consequences of Time Travel Aly, you could disappear!"

"Woah!" Aly tried to calm her down, "I didn't say that." Aly continued, "I just want him to be happy."

"This isn't the best way." Rose said in that annoying big sister voice, "There have to be struggle for a happy ending, you can't always be smooth sailing."

Aly groaned. Here comes philosophical Rose, who appears every time anyone tries to suggest something different, "I know that Rose."

"Good." Rose said, but still looked over at Aly suspiciously, as if she might plot her own death as soon as Rose turned around, "That's good." Rose eventually gave up looking at Aly for clues and turned around to leave, but then Aly thought of another question.

"Rose." She said with uncertainty in her voice, "If the universe wants something to work out one way, did they plan for the Death Cult to travel back in time?"

Rose pretended she didn't hear the question and walked away quickly.

* * *

October **Year 1997 **Britain Countryside

* * *

"Told ya!" Lily said. Scorpius could hear the heavy smirk her voice as she addressed Hermione.

"Yeah, yeah, you were right." Hermione sighed. Scorpius mused at how much she sounded like Rose, then stopped herself, "Now will you help me put up this tent?"

When Scorpius signed up for this mission, he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. Before it, he was always stuck between wanting desperately to prove to Harry, to the Auror department, and to himself, that he can be trusted, despite what his ancestors did, and doubting himself whether or not he was really different from them as well.

Then came the mission, the perfect opportunity to prove to himself once and for all that he was a good guy, but it happens to arrive on the day he was feeling most unsure of himself, the day him and Rose's relationship went haywire.

He loved her, he really did. He loved her so much that when a time comes, Scorpius is 99% sure he'll die for her, but he has a hell of a time trying to prove it to her. To Rose, and probably the entire Potter-Weasley family, he'll always be that Slytherin kid hanging around them, being all suspicious and everything. While Rose's best friend, _Lysander_, he thought the other blonde boy's name bitterly, was highly praised for being a smart and outstanding Ravenclaw. The house prejudice thing just wasn't fair. Scorpius was ambitious and cunning like all the other Slytherins, but he wasn't ruthless, or blood prejudice, like the other purebloods.

Of course, they didn't know that.

When the mission was presented, nobody was sure exactly what they'll be doing. Whether they'll be fighting Death Eaters 24/7, or mainly trying to avoid them. Scorpius did this because, if he made sure that the past-Harry, Ron and Hermione was alright, maybe he'll finally prove to Rose's family that he can be trusted, and then he could…

No. He forced himself to stop; they were broken right now, and on a mission. He's mind could not be focused on Rose all the time.

But lately, he couldn't think much of anything else.

Suddenly, he felt a spring of heat near his fingertips, and looked down at the rock he was sitting on, where Lily put down the message Galleon a few moments ago. He looked around, Ron, Hermione and Lily were putting up the tent, and Lysander was getting water by the lake, while Harry remains to be unseen. Scorpius didn't worry too much about that, he's usually brooding somewhere. Then he looked back at the shiny gold coin now between his finger tip, and froze when he saw the name now encrypted in it.

_Rose._

She sent him a message, he thought, excitement running up his spine, but then he remembered it was Lily who took the Galleon, which meant Rose thought Lily would get it.

_Right, _he focused, and decrypted the rest of the message.

_Aly told Neville about the Sword of Gryffindor, I reckon you should do the same ~ Rose._

Scorpius didn't know much about Aly or Neville, they weren't particularly on his top ten people to get to know list, but he have an idea of their personalities. He sighed, this Aly girl was going to get them all exposed for her stupidity.

"Hey Lacey!" He called out to the perky ginger, using her fake name, but Ron and Hermione also looked up as well, "Ehh…" He hesitated, they haven't exactly found a code for when a message arrives, he made a mental note to change that, "I found a nice looking rock."

"Really Samuel?" Lily rolled her eyes, "I don't have time to look at a rock!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes as well, ever since the first day, Lily's been acting like the leader just because her brother went MIA, which theoretically would make most people more subdued or something, but not Lily. Instead her bossiness increased to something almost unbearable, like talking down to him like he was a five year old.

"It almost looks like a _galleon_." Scorpius stressed. Lily's eyes were almost as big as the gold coins he held in his hand now, "You wanna see it?"

"Sure…" She answered uncertainly, and left a confused Ron and Hermione bickering over where the tent should go.

"If it rains Hermione, it'll be better under a tree!"

"Honestly Ronald, what if Lightning struck! And besides, I could do an anti-water charm that would work just as well."

"Better concealment too, I reckon."

"Do you doubt my magical skills?"

"Anyway." Lily sighed, "What's so important."

Scorpius torn his eyes away from Ron and Hermione, _her _parents, "Uhh…" He returned his eyes towards the ginger girl, which did not help because they had the same fiery red hair, "Aly almost blew our cover."

Lily said some very choice words that should not have been in a normal fifth year's vocabulary, then again Lily was never really a normal fifth year, since her 13th birthday she had been on more missions than a 2nd year Auror in Training.

"Did Rose cover it up alright?" She asked anxiously, "Do you think mu-Ginny and they know who they really are?"

Scorpius looked back at the galleon, "I don't think they know that they are even time travelers."

Lily looked bewildered at that idea. Scorpius rolled his eyes at her, for a bright offspring of Harry and Ginny Potter, she can be a bit thick sometimes, but mostly when she's anxious or angry.

"Remember, they're a lot closer to the Death Eaters than we are." As a precaution, Scorpius looked around the campground, "At least I hope they are. Snape's their headmaster, remember?"

Lily blinked, "But Snape's a good guy."

Scorpius shrugged, "He still has to feed them some stuff just to get on their good side. I bet that's why Aly told Neville, to prevent them from getting the punishment for stealing from the Headmaster."

Lily still looks like she didn't comprehend that well, "But Snape will just send them to Hagrid's, right?"

"People do stupid things for love." Scorpius sighed, "Aly wanted to protect her father, that's all."

He looked up to see Lily's beady brown eyes staring down at him suspiciously, and realize that stupid Lily was over, now calm and calculating Lily was back, and she's trying to comprehend what Scorpius' word just meant.

"Mind sending the message to Lysander?" Scorpius asked, "Don't really fancy talking to him right now, you know."

Lily nodded slowly, and still keeping her eyes upon him. Eventually she gave up and stomped over to Lysander by the lake. Scorpius smiled at his small victory. As much stubborn as Lily might be, she wasn't very patient.

* * *

**~Operation Time Turner~**

* * *

Lysander sat by the water, the color blue always calmed him. It was lucky he was sorted into Ravenclaw, because he wasn't sure what to do if he was faced with fiery red and too bright yellow for the whole day. How Lily, Rose and the rest of them stand it, he didn't really know.

He sat there quietly, looking over the water. Lysander should really be helping Ron and Hermione with the tent, but he knew enough from those awkward dinners to _never _come between them when they are fighting.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Gosh Hermione, I'm pitching a tent."

"Really? I thought you were trying to kill the rock!"

"You can't kill a rock Hermione, it's already dead!"

"Rocks aren't living organisms. I should really bring you into a Muggle science class soon."

"Great idea, maybe after that we can get a cup of tea with Lucius Malfoy!"

Lysander smiled. If he had told Ron and Hermione that they would be dating within the span of less than a year, they would look at him as if he was a three headed Hippogriff, but then, there they were, perfect for each other and married a few years later. Lysander wasn't particularly sappy, but any 17 year old wizard would have given a few thought on his future and in his vision, he saw himself with a loving ginger wife, a few kids, and becoming a renounce Auror, like Harry.

But then, Lysander thought as he looked over to Scorpius and Lily, maybe the ginger wife part wouldn't come true, not with him in the way.

All of the sudden, the red-haired Lily stood up and bounced her way over, holding a gold galleon in her hand. Lysander felt a shiver down his spine, _something had happened. _He prayed it was good.

"Aly almost blew her cover." Lily sighed, "Now we'll have to find a way to convince them that the sword of Gryffindor in Snape's office isn't real, and find the real one."

Lysander blinked twice, not sure on what he was hearing. Aly Longbottom, the sweet brunette daughter of Neville and Hannah, was the first to blow their cover? He didn't think it would be that difficult to keep a secret.

"Alright then." Lysander said, "I guess we have something to do."

Lily smiled weakly back at him. The truth was that neither of them, nor Scorpius, was sure what they were doing, not now, not ever. They had all chosen to be part of the mission for their own, stupid, noble reasons; Lysander's being that he had to get away from his family. His dad, Rolf who was growing more distant every day, and it hurts Lysander, not because it made him and Lorcan's life more miserable, but because of his step-mum Luna. Lysander never met his real mum, but his step one was just as good. They were family, and now Lysander began to doubt if he was ever going to see her again.

_Stop saying that, _he scolded himself, _of course you'll live, you and Rose and Lily and all the rest of them, and you'll live happily ever after._

"Did you hear something?" Lily suddenly piped up. Lysander looked up at the ginger and strained his ear, but Lily was more alert than he was. Eventually though, he did catch a snap of a few twigs.

"Maybe Harry is taken his anger out on a tree?" Lysander suggested, even though they knew it wasn't the case.

Lily looked swiftly back at the camp, and just saw Harry rejoining the group, looking grumpy, but at least safe and whole. She breathes a breath of relief. Lysander felt sympathy for the younger girl. He wondered what it'll be like if he had been on the other team, for one thing he would have been with Rose, for another, he'll see Luna every day. All of the sudden he understood a little why Aly blew her cover to Neville that quickly.

The peace was short lived, as a blast of red spark shot from the trees nearby. Lysander pulled out his wand quickly, as did Lily. They looked back at the camp ground, where Ron, Hermione, Harry and Scorpius were all blissfully unaware.

"Guys!" Lily shouted, "WATCH OUT!"

A blue spark nearly hit Hermione, as she squealed and jump out of the way just in time. A black smoke then swirled past Lysander at the tent, burning it to shreds. A figure came from the smoke, her hairs wild and black, with heavy eyelids and a wicked grin.

"Bellatrix Lestrange." Lily whispered, "Looks like the Cult found the Death Eaters."

"They knew we'd be here." Lysander nodded, as a purple spark ignites out of nowhere, "LILY WATCH OUT!" He jumped in front of her, which was a pretty stupid thing to do actually because Lily was quite adept at shield charms.

He's visions was dimming, but he heard the noises in the background. All hell just broke loose.

* * *

**Thank you lovlies for reading and reviewing! I'd just like a shout-out to all of my reviewers for a thank you, and may all of my future readers sees this list, convertly titled: Awesomest People in the World, realizes the awesomeness of these people**

**LandOfTheLivingSkys**

**LilyLuna123**

**EmpressPyrus**

**Soccerisawesome19**

**Avalon Kore**

**Harry-Potter-Magic**

**Hmm...shorter than I thought, yet still, you guys reviewed a lot. THANK YOU SO MUCH AWESOME PEOPLE!**

**~Lilies**


	7. VI: Time to Fight

**Hello Lovelies, I am back from my tour of a few places in USA, namely a few places on the East coast that I will not name, and I bring you one of the longest chapter yet. Surprisingly it's mainly taken place from Bellatrix's point of view, at the end of the chapter. I found it quite awesome to write, actually. You see her unwavering loyal to Voldemort, as well as the trait of many Death Eater than sometimes she makes choices that benefit herself, or takes down her enemy a little, instead of choosing the 'right' path, or whatever.**

**It's a long night, a lot of effort have gone into this. I had a small writer's block with this story, but through pre-written chapters and inspiration of the internet, I'm feeling much better, and I assure you to say that more chapters will be coming your way over the march break (Spring Break in US, I think). Anyways, enjoy the chapter (I don't understand why anyone would call it a chappie, because it's the same length and not a shortcut)!**

**~Lilies**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Time to Fight**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Britain Countryside

**L. Potter** – Britain Countryside

**J. Potter** – Unknown, Pending MIA

**L. Scamander **– Britain Countryside

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

October **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"The Room of Requirement, also known as the come and go room, was a significant location in the lifetime of Harry James Potter." Rose read out loud. She stood in front of a wall on the 7th floor, and drew a deep breath, "It was the location of the organization, known as Dumbledore's Army, which Harry, and later his wife Ginny, and his good friends Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, had led in order to practice duelling and defensive spells, as well as rebel against the formerly corrupted Ministry and the Death Eaters during what would have been Harry's seventh year. It is also the location which one of You-Know-Who's horcruxes was found, the Ravenclaw Diadem. The Diadem has now been compromised and is now at display at the Potter Museum in London, which was opened in 2001 in honor of the great hero."

Rose smiled down at her book. The only one she brought with her was the _Full and Unabridged Guide of the Potter Adventure, _which condenses Uncle Harry's 7 years of adventure into a small, 500 pages guide. It wasn't safe to bring much of anything from the future, just in case it falls into the wrong hand. Rose had just packed the necessaries, and stuffed it all in her mother's beaded bag. She brought this though, just in case.

Since Aly had accidentally link the truth about the Sword of Gryffindor last week, it had clearly dawned upon Rose how hard it would be to figure out how to keep the big 7 safe as well as allowing Harry to hunt for the Horcruxes. She figured the least she can do is help find the Horcrux that was closest, and therefore helping Uncle Harry to be one step closer in destroying Voldemort.

She closed the book with a sigh and stuffed it in her beaded bag, and thought hardest of the sentence. _I need the place where everything is hidden; I need the place where everything is hidden; I need the place where everything is hidden…_

A grumbling sound made Rose smile, although her eyes wasn't open yet, she knew it had worked. When she did open them, there was a magnificent set of door way that covered the entire wall. She looked around to see if anyone was passing by, because they definitely would have seen this.

Slipping into the room, Rose gasp at the sight. Years and years of buildup of hidden things, yo-yos, damaged furniture, hats, jewelleries and anything that can possibly exist. Rose was sure she had heard the chirp of a bird somewhere in there, but it wasn't her priority. A particular little tiara was her top most interest right now.

"I hope is in here." Rose sighed, and started walking into the depth of the room. She had always loved these kinds of scavenger hunts, like if she's in a library or something. It was not interesting not only of its contents, but of its history. She imagined this room to have started out as a simple broom cupboard, perhaps, and as more kids dump their stuff in there, it grew older. Centuries and centuries later it would have expanded, maybe towards a size of a classroom, or an auditorium, and eventually this full-fledged mass of storage space.

"Someone these things can be thousands of years old!" Rose whispered to herself. She liked to do that a lot, for what purpose? She did not know. But it comforts her because she would never disagree with herself.

Well, except on the subject of Scorpius.

They started out as best friends', which was probably Rose's first mistake, being friends with him, or even acknowledging his presence. They started going out in their fifth year, or maybe it was fourth, or was it the summer? Rose didn't even bother checking because it felt like they were together forever. Rose sighed, why was she thinking of these sappy thoughts on a search for a Horcrux? Only she would do something as trivial as this.

"You have a huge aura of sadness around you." A misty and dreamy voiced filled the room. Despite of the hugeness of the Room of Hidden Things, sound travels quite quick in it, must be the magic, Rose mused.

"Hello Luna." She turned to face her friend, or rather, her 'aunt'. It was quite awkward addressing her by her first name, as with Ginny and Neville, but it was vital part of keeping up her cover, "You almost sounded like Professor Trelawney." She grinned.

"She reads crystal balls, I read people." Luna shrugged, "I like to think I'm better at my job though."

Rose smiled wryly, knowing fully well it was that old 'fraud's' predication and prophecy that made his uncle the target of the most powerful dark wizard in the world, and part of the reason why she's here today.

"So…" Luna said, shuffling her feet, "Am I right? Are you feeling sad Rose?"

"Slightly." Rose said, "But who wouldn't be at a time like this." She gestured around her. Luna smiled at the ginger haired girl.

"No." Luna shook her head, "You're sad about something else, but it's alright, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I don't want to." Rose shook her head. It wouldn't help at all if she brought her messed up love life into a mission, besides, Scorpius could be half way around the world at this moment, and then again, she assumed he would be in Britain because of the Horcrux hunt, like what she was doing.

"It's alright, I'm used to that." Luna's dreamy voice haunted her a bit. Rose sighed, how the blonde girl managed to sound so cheerful and hopeful even at this time.

"Are you looking for something here?" Luna gestured around, "It's usually why people are here."

Rose turned towards the blonde girl curiously, "You've been here? While it was the Room of Hidden Things I mean." She added, because Luna had definitely been here when it was the Headquarter of Dumbledore's Army.

"Quite a lot, people tend to hide my things where they thought no one would find it, but of course, they don't visit this room as much as I do." Luna smiled, "I come here a lot, to work on my paintings or something, usually. What are you looking for?" She asked again.

Rose thought about it for a moment. When Harry returned to Hogwarts on his own 7th year here, he had accepted help finding the diadem, without telling others its purpose; perhaps she should do the same. She did recall it was Luna who suggested the diadem in the first place.

"The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw." She said.

Luna didn't look surprised, which is what caught Rose by surprise actually. Well, Rose thought, Luna couldn't be very easily surprised at normal things. She thinks a bit differently than most people.

"Well, do you know what it looks like?" Luna asked earnestly. Rose smiled, even when Luna had reached her middle aged life, she was still just as sweet and helpful. However, sweet and helpful doesn't win the war. Rose _did _know what it looked it, but she can't reveal it without Luna getting suspicious. She can't reveal _anything _without Luna being suspicious.

"No." Rose sighed, trying to sound as dejected as possible, "I supposed I'm over my head, trying to find a century lost item just to prove my intelligence, I'm not even in Ravenclaw!" Rose said for good effect. She was adept at hiding her emotions, and seems to be equally adept at showing fake ones.

"Alright then." Luna said. Her voice didn't change tones from when they started the conversation. It's very hard for anyone to read Luna's expression though, she always seemed so mild and calm, "Well, we better get to dinner."

Rose pursed her lips, it seemed all too casual a way to let it go, but she wasn't about to question it, "Yes." She said tightly, "Let's."

What she didn't see was Luna slipping a silver and sapphire diadem into her robe's pocket.

* * *

"Where's Rose?"

Hugo shrugged as he stuffed down another chicken, Aly looked towards her best friend in disgust; it was only Hugo who could eat like this in middle of a mission.

"Stop-" smack, "Eating-" smack, "Your-" smack, "Sister-" smack, "Is-" smack, "MISSING!"

"Look again." Hugo mumbled as he rubbed the sore spot on his forearm, which Aly was repeatedly hitting with a textbook, "She's here."

"With Luna." Neville commented from somewhere behind Aly. She jumped at surprise when her dad sat down behind her, "HEY!"

Luna's entire face lit up as she bounced her way over to sit next to Neville, which made Aly suspicious. She knew Luna, and even through her older ages she barely showed any emotions. Not because she was rather cold towards people or anything, just simply because it was what she did. However, as she was talking to Aly's dad right now, her grin was smacked on and wide.

"You don't think-" Aly wondered out loud, not sure where she was going with this and not sure if she wants to continue.

"Wha-?" Hugo said through another bit of chicken.

Aly sighed at her _very _hungry best friend, "Never mind."

Throughout the next few days Aly watched the blonde and brunette very closely, noting their every interaction and reciting their every conversation. Luna and Neville did spend an unusual amount of time together for two people whom are neither of the same year nor house, but usually those times were spent with Ginny, as well as the rest of them, so Aly couldn't really count those. She did notice, however, that they always made a point to sit next to each other, even crossing the entire room to do so and always wear that same goofy grin when they talk. They were much closer than Ginny and Neville wore, but that's mainly because Ginny just yells a lot whenever she talks to someone nowadays. Rose calls it hormones, but Aly personally thinks that Harry's absence is really getting on Ginny's nerves.

"I'm transparent." Aly declared one day as she flopped down next to Hugo in the Gryffindor common room. Harry, the adult one, had really done good paper work to made sure that Rose, Hugo, and Aly are _actually _registered as students with actual dorms, and with Severus Snape, the fake Death Eater, as the headmaster, they had a very thought out cover.

Hugo turned from his book (he's actually studying for the OWLs, believe it or not) and inspected the brunette girl, "Nope, you look solid and well."

Aly rolled her eyes, "I mean I _feel _transparent." She sighed, "Neville and Luna had been spending a lot of time together, didn't you notice?"

Hugo looked across the common room at Neville, buried in his Herbology Textbook, _again. _"They're not together now." He shrugged.

"That's because Luna's in Ravenclaw you dweeb." Aly teased softly, "But other than that, they always sit together at lunch, or at the library, or whatever."

Hugo shrugged again. If Aly got a Sickle for every time Hugo shrugs in their conversation, she would have enough to buy a new pair of robes, "So?"

Aly rolled her eyes once more, _boys, _she thought, _they don't get anything_.

Here's the thing that Aly had concluded, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood may, possibly, with about 80% chance, highly likely, like each other, which puts Aly in the worst possible place: non-existence. She hasn't even seen her mother in the present/past time yet. She and her dad weren't even dating yet.

_Don't panic, _she thought to herself, _maybe mum and dad have another thing going on later, maybe Neville and Luna just had a small fling, maybe I'm reading too much into this. _That was definitely it, she was reading too much into their innocent relationship, besides, she hasn't disappeared yet, so that was a good sign.

That was her mantra as she sat down next to Neville for dinner another night, this time Luna was absence because of a big Charms test coming up for the blue Ravenclaws. Neville certainly looked dejected, but Aly's mantra played over and over again in her head until she was almost positive it's true.

"Hey Neville!" A voice broke Aly out of her thought. She recognized that voice! The voice that she had heard every day of her life (up until now, at least), and usually the first and last thing she hears of the day.

"Hey Hannah." Neville grinned well naturally at the blonde girl. There were many differences between Hannah and Luna. While Hannah's hair was golden blonde with streaks of light brown, Luna's was more dirty blonde and longer. Hannah's brown eyes were dark and deep, while Luna's was light and grey. Aly couldn't possibly see much in common between the two girls, actually, Hannah was more out-going, while Luna tended to shy back, and the list could go on and on and on until Aly manage to convince herself that her mum is better.

"Mind if I sit here?" Hannah bit her lips nervously, as if Neville would reject her or something. Aly looked at the two with a mixed expression, this is what it'll be like before the fall, before everything crashes; this is when they were happy.

Well, sort of. Hannah awkwardly squeezed between Neville and Rose, and didn't talk much except asking Neville to pass the ketchup. Aly sighed, if this was Hannah's way of making a move, she wasn't doing well.

"I'm having a bit of trouble with the Herbology work." There it was again, Hannah biting her lips. Aly was a little sick of it. She finally made a right move though, because she knew her dad wasn't asked for his expertise a lot when he was young.

"I can take a look at it for you." As Aly expected, Neville eagerly took the textbook, _Advanced Herbology for the Experts, _and flipped through the pages, occasionally explaining something to the other blonde girl. Aly looked towards those two calculatingly, she had never seen Neville and Hannah this close before. All she remembered was them fighting. She wondered what had happened in the future hat would have caused the eventually rift.

"Hey Aly!" A dreamy voice broke Aly out of her thoughts. She seemed to be doing a lot of thinking lately. Aly looked up at the other blonde girl in her father's life and smiled, "Luna."

Luna's smile wasn't as full as it used to be though, as she snuck a glance towards Neville and Hannah, "Can you pass the pudding?" She asked gingerly, and bounced off when Aly gave it to her. _That's odd, _Aly thought, _she usually sit with us for dinner._

But when Aly looked back towards her parents, she knew exactly why Luna had left.

* * *

October **Year 1998 **Britain Countryside

* * *

"Lysander?"

Lily was in full scale panic now, Bellatrix was advancing on Harry. Ron and Scorpius are struggling to duel with the other Death Eaters. Hermione was nowhere to be seen, and Lysander has just been hit with who-knows-what.

"LYSANDER!" She tried again, shaking the blonde boy's shoulder while trying to avoid being hit by spells as well. So far she'd seen red sparks, purple lights, and other variety of colours, but to her relief she hasn't seen the ominous green colour of the Avada Kedavra curse.

"LYSANDER!" She screamed into his ear, "IF YOU DIE RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"LACEY!" She heard Scorpius' voice from afar, reminding Lily that she's got a cover to keep, but thankfully both Harry and Ron are too preoccupied to notice Lily shouting Lysander's real name, "WATCH OUT!"

A black smoke materialized in front of her, and as it blew away a wicked woman took its place. Her smile was devious and wild as her wind-swept black hair; her eyes were gleaming with pure evil and pleasure. Lily shook in fear as she looked into the eyes of the notorious Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Oh, you're new." Bellatrix's voice cackled, "Wonder what kind of Mudblood little-wittle Potter is recruiting now."

Lily felt a surge of anger running through her, then, purely on adrenaline and no thinking involving, she whipped her wand out of her pocket and a red spark flew out of the tip. She was quite adept at non-verbal spells.

Bellatrix blocked it easily with a flick of her own wand, as she whispered an incantation and send another spark towards Lysander's unconscious body; Lily threw herself in front of him and blocked it with all her might. She knew the battle won't end well; it was a 5th year girl against a powerful and dark sorceress. All Lily can do is to make sure no one else dies with her.

"Don't think that way." She muttered to herself. She won't die, not at the hand of Bellatrix Lestrange anyways. Lily planned to live a long life of being an Auror and battling dark forces, but she won't go down like this.

Bellatrix's laugh makes Lily felt like she's got spiders crawling up her arm, as a chill run down her spine. She combatted the older witch for another five minutes, Bellatrix seemed to be just throwing random spells at Lily now, not even bothering to try that much. Either way, Lily was losing, and fast. She's got sprayed with a giant wave of water that soaked her from head to toe, and another curse that probably turned her hair pink. She was just glad it wasn't anything worse.

She spoke too soon. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH!" Lily screamed as a sudden curse seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly her lungs were on fire and she had no control of her body. It was like a seizure attack she read about, except ten times worse. Her arms were bent unnaturally and she was pretty sure she sprained half of her bones. It felt like she had broken every single part of her body, and burning harder than a 3rd degree burn. She eventually collapsed on the ground, a momentarily relief that drained her of all her energy, and for a short second, her ability to breathe.

Lily was only half conscious now, vaguely seeing Harry battle off his Death Eater on the other side of the camp. Smoke was in the air as someone set the tent of fire…

Her eyes were wide open now, but in fear. Bellatrix was stepping over her with a vicious grin that sickened Lily, not only because of what's to come to her, but because of what it represented. What kind of evil must be within her to talk such pleasure in torture? In that instance, Lily didn't feel fear for Bellatrix Lestrange, she felt pity. She must have had some serious trauma to have become the woman she was today. That pain must be a hundred times worse than the Crucio curse Lily was just put under.

Bellatrix smirked down at the ginger girl, beady brown eyes meeting her emerald green ones. Lily closed her eyes; she didn't want her last sight to be of her killer, but to be of her love ones. She played them out in her head, as her life flashes before her, dad, mum, James, Albus, Rose, Uncle Ron and Hermione…

A golden spark came from out of nowhere, as Bellatrix wasn't expecting it and got struck down. She got up quickly though, anticipating the next move.

"Back away from her." To Lily's relief, her dad, well, younger version of her dad stepped in front of the ginger girl and pointed his wand at the wicked bitc-witch, "Your battle's with me."

Bellatrix's smile widened like a Cheshire cat as she playfully waved her wand, "Well hello there, Potter." She spat out his last name, "Honorably sacrificing yourself for your Mudblood friends, I see."

Harry didn't say a word towards her, but drew his wand in front of him for battle. Lily watched in horror, unable to move, as her dad duelled the dark enchantress. They were very evenly matched, which was surprising considering Harry had only been two years older than Lily at that time, but she guessed he had more experience. However, Bellatrix had a touch more endurance, as Harry was soon wearing out. Eventually a slicing curse hit his arm as blood spilled out like Niagara Falls. Harry quickly whispered a healing spell, but it only stopped part of the damage. Lily couldn't take her eyes off of his great, bloody, and rotten flesh, it was like some great big curse held her body in that one spot, she cannot move away from the scene.

"It would seem that sacrifice is overrated." Bellatrix cackled, as Harry remained silent. He whispered to Lily instead, "Get Lenny, Samuel, Ron and Hermione out of here, I'll catch up with you later." His voice urgent and Lily had an idea it would not be wise to argue, but she did never the less. He was her dad, and bleeding severely, after all.

"I'm not leaving you!" Lily cried. If Harry died now, the entire wizard world would collapse, not to mention she'll never be born.

"Go!" He whispered still. Lily finally regain control of her limbs and quickly whispered _Wingardium Leviosa _and levitating Lysander to safety but the trees, then, muttered a hasty 'sorry' as she dumped him in the bushes and returned to battle, just in time to miss a green spark.

"They're going crazy!" Scorpius cried as he saw Lily.

"KILL THE SPARES!" Bellatrix screeched in answer to Scorpius' statement. Lily wondered what Bellatrix would think once she found out that Scorpius was actually her own sister's grandson. With that thought, Lily stood a little higher and smirked, "KILL THE SPARES!" The witch-bitch screeched again, sending a killing curse just past Lily.

"We've got to come up with a plan!" Lily cried as she avoids another one, which ended up burning a hole in a nearby tree.

"I thought you were the leader!" Scorpius cried sarcastically as he sends a stunning spell towards Bellatrix, who laughed maliciously and blocked it easily.

"I DO NOT DO WELL UNDER PRESSURE!" Lily screamed, "NOW WILL YOU DO SOMETHING?"

To Lily's disbelief and anger, Scorpius actually found this moment to be quite funny and smirked, "Shut up!" She cried at the older boy, even though he hasn't said anything.

"I thought you'd never ask." Scorpius didn't cease to smirk and mutter an incantation into his wand. Lily watched in awe and slight horror as he sends a great white bubble like object towards the direction of the Death Eaters. It was too great to block and eventually swallowed them whole.

"How did you do that?" She asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"It's kind of like a Bubble-Head charm, but on a greater scale, combined with the Levitation Charm." Scorpius said, and with another flick of a wand he sent them up in the air and away from the destroyed camp sit, "You should consider reading more."

Lily recovered fast enough to say one line, "Rose must be rubbing off on you." She recalled her other cousin once spending a whole 72 hours straight in the Hogwarts Library in anticipation for her NEWTs.

"Yeah." Scorpius said one second too late, "She is."

Lily felt a little bad for bringing up Scorpius' girlfriend, or maybe ex-girlfriend, she really didn't know. But there were more dire things to be worrying about currently, as another blonde figure was walking towards them.

"What the hell happened?" Lysander demanded towards the group, casting a look at the burning tent, the destroyed camp ground, and the group of angry Death Eaters floating off into the sky. Lily realized it must be quite a comical scene at first sight, after he got past the bleeding Harry and slightly scarred Ron.

"Nice of you to show up." Scorpius sneered. Lily looked towards the Malfoy boy in confusion, was this the best time to be initiating a fight?

Lysander grew red like a tomato, "I was knocked out, in case you haven't notice." He hissed.

"Oh, I noticed." Scorpius' voice was cold and menacing, "I also noticed you're supposed to be on lookout."

Lily didn't think this was possible, but Lysander grew redder, "What about you, what were you doing? Just sitting there idly, letting us do all the work."

"Stop it guys!" Ron tried to stop them, but to no avail. Lily knew these guys for a long time, and when they get into a fight, it takes something really massive to stop them.

"I WAS DOING YOUR JOB, ON LOOKOUT!"

"EVIDENTIALLY NOT DOING A VERY GOOD JOB AT IT!"

"Guys." Harry now joined the group and looked extremely nervous. Lily had the idea that something horrible was about to happen, even more than Death Eaters attacking their camp.

"WELL AT LEAST I WASN'T CARELESS ENOUGH TO BE CURSED!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY AND HAVE BELLATRIX LESTRANGE SNEAK UP ON YOU!"

"Lenny, Samuel!" Ron said sharply, but the boys were still at it, probably because they weren't very used to hearing their alias.

"SHE WOULDN'T HAVE 'SNUCK UP' ON YOU IF YOU HAD BEEN PAYING MORE ATTENTION!"

Lily had quite enough, she wants to know why the bloody hell was Harry looking so nervous. She put two finger in her mouth and gave sharp whistle, instantly the two boys' head snapped around to look at the ginger girl, and yelled in unison, "WHAT?"

"Listen to Harry." She pursed her lips and gave her best 'you-better-obey' look. The trio plus Ron then looked towards their leader. Harry swallowed, he looked particularly fearful, perhaps not of the news he was about to give, but their reactions towards it.

"Hermione is gone."

* * *

October **Year 1997 **Malfoy Manor

* * *

"Take the Mudblood into the cellar." Bellatrix ordered as she stepped into the Manor. She smirked as she saw the bleeding Granger girl. _Honestly, _Bellatrix thought, _why do the Mudbloods even bother?_

She walked with confidence into the meeting room of the Manor, masking her slight insecurity. Bellatrix hated that about herself, hated that she just can't be perfect. She had hoped that this raid would be the end of that Potter's life, but he's gotten sneakier and hired new bodyguards. What a coward, to hide in the shadows, avoiding the inevitable.

"Madam Lestrange." A fellow Death Eater bowed down to her as she walked down the grand hall. Bellatrix recognized him as one of the time travelers, Jeremy or something. She scowled. Ever since the arrival of this so-called 'Death Cult', the Dark Lord had been most displeased. The news of him dying in the nearby future was not a happy thought, and what's more was that Bellatrix had not been one of those who had come back to support him in this time. Instead it was that stupid Lucius Malfoy, and his lackeys. Bellatrix only curb her tongue when it came to the Malfoys because her sister Cissy was part of their clan, and their where noble Purebloods, but their cowardice disgusted Bellatrix. She knew that they were only loyal to the Dark Lord because of his power and protection, not because they truly believe in him, as she does.

She briefly wondered if the 'Death Cults' were telling the truth of their origin. There had been plenty of lies and rumours going around the Death Eater circles. But the older 'Lucius' had managed to convince the Dark Lord, and if there was one person in the world Bellatrix Lestrange trusted above all else, it was her master. Now the older and balding Lucius was running the show, while the younger version and the rest of the present time Death Eaters, such as herself, have been subjected into…lesser missions, usually Muggle baiting and torturing of Mudbloods. Bellatrix had enough good grace from the Dark Lord to allow her on missions such as this one, finding that Potter, which Bellatrix was ever grateful more. If not for such mission, she might have eventually convinced herself that she was no more than a lowly Snatcher.

"May I take your coat?" That Jeremy character continued suavely, Bellatrix frowned at the younger boy. He was much too young to have travelled from future and be in the original Death Eater circle, but Lucius trusted him, and the Dark Lord trusted Lucius, and therefore Bellatrix had to at least tolerate the stupid boy.

"Do I look like I need you to take my coat?" Bellatrix sneered, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a very important meeting to attend, one with only the Dark Lord's most trusted and exclusive followers." She said haughtily, at least there was one time traveler who was of a lesser position than she was.

Jeremy or whatever nodded, "Well, we must get going."

Bellatrix turned from her place close to the end of the steps towards the young boy, looking incredulous; an emotion she rather not shows in front of a _child. _"_You're_ going to the meeting?" Her high pitched voice echoed in the hallway.

Jeremy nodded, "Shall we?" He pointed towards the Gargoyle that stood over the entrance to the drawing room. Bellatrix scowled once more and followed him in pursuit. Well, not following him, because Bellatrix only followed one person, and it was not some silly time traveling boy.

She entered the room and accessed the crowd, Lucius Malfoy, the older version, sat with his now grown son Draco, on the right of the Dark Lord. She frowned, that spot belonged to _her! _But she was in no position to fight as of now, and reluctantly took a seat to the paler-than-usual present day Malfoys, next to Cissy.

"Bella." Her blonde sister greeted with a nod. Bellatrix returned the gestured and turned towards her opposing side, Severus Snape, of present, as well as the other members of the Death Cult.

"Glad to have you join us, my dear Bellatrix." A cold voice spoke at the end of the table. In spite of herself, Bellatrix gave one of her rare smiles.

"My lord." She greeted the Dark Lord, and did a little bow in her seat, "The honor is mine." Opposing her, that Jeremy person sat, as the Dark Lord greeted him as well.

"Jeremiah." He said. Bellatrix fought the urge to blast him, Jeremiah, out of the room.

"My lord." Jeremiah bowed as well, and focused his attention.

The Dark Lord cleared his throat slightly, and began the meeting without so much as of a signal, "You must wonder why I have gathered you all here today."

After a pause, which Bellatrix's heart beat very fast, he continued, "We're here to question the true loyalty of one Death Eater among us."

Another smile rose to her face as she turned her eyes towards Jeremiah, who looked pale at the statement. _Finally, _she thought, _Justice._

"Severus Snape." The Dark Lord spoke. Bellatrix's head turned towards the dark haired man.

"WHAT?" She cried before she can stop herself, and then pulled down her head immediately in shame as the Dark Lord threw her a sharp look. She had spoken out of turn.

"My good friend Lucius…" as two stupid blonde head turned up, "The older one, tells me…" The Dark Lord's eyes travelled towards the left side of the table, to the accused, who looked oddly calm for someone was claimed to be disloyal, "…that you betray me in the future Severus, that you, in a word, somehow _helped _Harry Potter to defeat me."

Now Bellatrix wasn't the only one whispering, the entire table was bumbling with gasps, as the present day Malfoy Family looked scandalized. Bellatrix kept one eye fixed on Jeremiah though, and he seemed rather calm as well.

"My loyalty lies with you, my lord." Severus spoke softly, "And I'm sure I can find an explanation in whatever my future self might have done."

"That's a lie!" The older Lucius hissed, "You only serve those whom can grant you power, and that being Dumbledore!"

The Dark Lord paled, the mention of one of his arch enemies was not a topic for discussion of the time. Bellatrix seemed to be the only one who noticed his discomfort, so naturally she had to speak up.

"Calm yourself Lucius." She spoke coolly. It was a bowl of false from Lucius, who accused Severus of the same thing he was guilty of. Bellatrix actually found amusement in this; oppose to panic like those of Cissy. But present day Narcissa Malfoy had no control over his husband's future self, "Why don't you start by telling Severus _exactly _of his faults."

Cissy turned to her with a surprised look, Bellatrix wasn't usually the voice of reason, but with the Malfoys in a frenzy and Severus being questioned, _someone _had to be there to calm the lot, to ensure the Dark Lord doesn't get a headache from all this pesky battering.

"Sources say that you've been working for Dumbledore all this time." Lucius' voice was shaky and not much calmer than it had been moments ago, "That you were to protect the Potter boy, and tell him exactly what is needed to kill the Dark Lord."

Severus sat calm, "And what exactly did I do?" He almost sound amused, which Bellatrix found unnerving and quite frankly, annoying.

"You retrieve a part of your memory, featuring that _Mudblood Evans._" Lucius sneered, Bellatrix sniffled a laugh. She remembers the days in Hogwarts when Severus was panning over that pathetic ginger girl. She had thought Severus grew wise with time, but it seemed not, "To convince Potter to sacrifice himself for the others, and the next thing we know, Potter's alive after Narcissa claimed him to be dead after the Dark Lord himself killed him."

Severus stood still as stone, and listened to the verdict. Bellatrix watched the man carefully, he was a very calculating person, and therefore must be thinking of thousands of way to get out of this situation. If he does turn out to be a traitor though, Bellatrix herself with ensure his bloody and painful death. She grinned at the thought of a tortured Snape, but returned to present time obediently.

"If I understand you correctly, Lucius." Severus spoke calmly after Lucius listed all his wrong doings, "I led the Potter boy to the Dark Lord that day in May, which would have not been possible without my support. The boy had been on the run for over a year, hiding in plain sight and however talented our search party might be…" Bellatrix scowled at the thought of being called a search _party, _"I sped up the time which Potter would met his fate."

"Your memories…" Lucius accused.

"…were tampered with. As you well know Lucius, I pride myself on my humble kills of Legilimency, of course, not as great as the Dark Lord himself…" Severus turned towards their leader, "But enough to penetrate the weak mind such as of Potter, and _convinced _him that I _did _care for his _Mudblood_ mother." He spat on the word Mudblood, "And convinced him to go into the forest to meet the inevitable."

Before he could be interrupted by Lucius once more, Severus spoke quicker, "I had not known the Dark Lord's spell would fail him, after all, I was under the impression he was the master of a powerful wand, the one of _Albus_ _Dumbledore_…" he drew a deep breath, "The Elder Wand, and that should have been enough to kill _Potter_. How he survived is a mystery that I do not know."

Lucius looked murderous, the Dark Lord was slightly amused by both side of the story, but Bellatrix just wanted to go back out in the world and drew some Mudblood blood.

"I've heard enough." The Dark Lord said, holding up a hand to the both of them, "Both side held convincing points and a very difficult decision; of course."

His brilliant and bloody red eyes fell upon each of them, the older Lucius and Draco, the Malfoy Family, Snape, the Death Cult, Jeremiah, and finally (she felt a jolt in her stomach as his eyes past her) Bellatrix, "I'll give you the luxury of deciding Severus' fate, and whether Lucius's source is reliable."

Bellatrix thought it over. While she and Severus had not been very close, she did despise Lucius very much, as for the older version, even more. She would be casting her vote in favour of Severus, but not because she thought he was right, just because Bellatrix thought that Lucius was wrong. She looked across the room and saw an unevenly disperse of Death Cult members who would side with Lucius, as well as the present day Malfoy Family. It would be a tough vote to win over, but Bellatrix did have some tricked up her sleeve. Most of the Death Cult still didn't have as much power as her, not just the Dark Lord's trust, but their magical abilities as well.

"I vote on the side of Severus." Bellatrix volunteered first, "He did give us valuable information of the Order." With a flick of her wand underneath the table, several Death Cult members agreed, leaving the older Lucius very scandalized and panicked. The present-day ones looked neutral.

"What about you Jeremiah?" the Dark Lord asked the boy, Bellatrix made a very ugly face privately. But as his vote didn't count nearly as valuable as hers, the boy wouldn't be an issue.

Jeremiah drew a deep breath, and sighed, "I believe that Severus is correct."

Another confusion rose in the table, Bellatrix had not confounded the stupid boy, why would he take the side of Severus over his cult leader?

"I trust Madam Lestrange's opinion." He flashed a charming smile over at Bellatrix, "As I know she is one of your most loyal lieutenants."

Any normal woman would have felt very flattered, and Bellatrix did, a little bit, that she was acknowledged as the Dark Lord's most faithful servant, but to here this from a lowly boy? It was almost an insult. Never the less, he took her side, and that was one more vote for the cause.

"It looks like we have a clear winner." The Dark Lord turned to Severus, "You are once more trusted, Severus, I suggest you do _not_ abuse this luxury."

Severus bowed towards the leader, "I certainly will not, my lord."

* * *

**So this chapter marks several things, Hermione is kidnapped, yes, by Bellatrix, and the return of the mysterious character of Jeremiah. He is actually super important, really, so keep a close eyes on his actions. Especially _why _he claimed Snape was innocent, when he could have easily went along with his boss, Lucius.**

**It was really weird writing older!Lucius and younger!Lucius in the same chapter, but I think I did well. As for Bellatrix, I somehow went for a Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time approach (even a direct quote if you can find it), except with a bit more outward rage and loyalty towards another cause. So go watch Once Upon a Time if you want to see what I mean. Lana Parrilla is amazing.**

**Anyways, excited? terrible? hate me for having Hermione being kidnapped? Excited for Nuna and Scorose? Whatever! As long as you favourite and follow, read and review, I'll take anything!**

**~Lilies**

**P.S. just to clearify, Snape is a good guy, or a more appropriate term, he's not a true death eater ('cause you know, the world isn't split between good guys and death eaters, anyway), but simple keeping up his cover. And Lucius didn't mention Narcissa lying about Harry's 'death' because they're lying bitches and Lucius didn't want to place any blame upon his family. Keep being awesome people!**


	8. VII: No Time To Lose

**Chapter 7: No Time To Lose**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Forest in Britain

**L. Potter** – Forest in Britain

**J. Potter** – MIA

**L. Scamander **– Forest in Britain

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

_September __**Year 2023 **__Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

* * *

_Rose Weasley was a mere 17 year old girl on her 7__th__ year at Hogwarts when she heard the terrible news. It shook her perfect little world upside down as she grasps the table, trying to steady herself, which suddenly became a task that is too much for her._

"_What?" She cried. It couldn't be true. Her favourite cousin in the entire world cannot be…_

"_Dead." James said, "Dead, by the hands of Death Eaters no less. Just before his final year at Hogwarts." He said bitterly. Rose felt a pang in her heart; she knew how much Al was looking forward to the NEWTs, even if no one else was._

_James Sirius Potter was usually quite the prankster, to have him in front of Rose, all serious and solemn, scared her more than Albus' death. To have James, who constantly wore a smile upon his face, to look at the floor and sighing, was not normal. _This _was not normal._

"_He can't be dead." She was in denial, which happens quite often nowadays. With the news about minor Azkaban break-outs, and the Death Eaters growing rapidly in numbers, the Order of the Phoenix had never had such a problem at their hands since the reign of Lord Voldemort, rumours are flying that he may be back, but it didn't really concern Rose._

_Until now._

"_It's true Rose, deal with it." James snapped. Rose's eyes widened in fear, an emotion she _never _showed towards her older cousin. Then again, James had never snapped at her, or have he ever called her Rose, usually Rosie or other variations of her name. It had to be true._

_Albus Severus Potter was dead._

* * *

_"I'm really sorry Rose."_

_Lysander was one of her best friends in the entire world, but even he cannot consult her today. It had been a whole week since Albus' death, but Rose had not changed. She didn't brush her hair anymore; for one thing, it was pointless to try to make herself look upbeat when she is in the hopeless abyss of sadness. Her roommates have pulled every trick in the world to try and make her feel better, but alas, the girls of Gryffindor Tower have never dealt with death this horrifying before. Her first week back at Hogwarts was terrible._

_It wasn't just her; the entire Potter-Weasley family was in a rot. Molly and Lucy, Uncle Percy's daughter, have stopped their constant nagging and lectures, and opt to hide behind books. Her cousin Victoire's sister, Dominique, and brother, Louis, are constantly speaking rapidly in French, even in presence of their friends. Then Fred and Roxanne, Uncle George's kids, have lacked in their prankster ways, like James, whom Rose haven't heard from since he came to deliver the news. Then there was Lily, sweet, kind, Lily, who was the only one sort of acting like herself. She refused to believe that Albus was dead (denial is the worst), and instead took it upon herself to cheer up everyone at school, but to no avail. Rose knew Lily was strong, but putting herself in denial won't be helpful in the long run._

_Then there was Scorpius, whom Rose only knew from their mutual friend, who is now in the big library in the sky. She hasn't seen him all term yet, but it only just started. She wondered if he even came to Hogwarts, until she saw him staggering into the library, next across the room to Lysander and her, pretending to study._

"_It's alright Ly." Rose sighed, "I'll be fine."_

_She couldn't remember how many times she said that in the past week alone, but it couldn't be nearly as much as Lily or James did, as they were _his _siblings. She was selfishly glad that she wasn't as close to Albus as they were; which spare her an extreme pain, not that her current one was too great._

"_You're not fine." Lysander gently put his hand on hers, a sign of pure friendship, "What can I do to cheer you up?" He begged. Rose knew how Lysander hated her to be upset, but as bad as it sounds; she kind of wanted to be upset right now, rather than Lily, pretending to be strong. This way she'll get all her sorrow out before she explodes._

"_I'm fine Lysander." She said a little louder, "I just need time."_

_Her Ravenclaw friend wasn't very patient, much like her dad, but Rose knew he was working on it, ever since his step-mom (and her friend) Luna joined the family. Lysander looked up to Luna very much, maybe because his own family haven't been around much. They were as close as real family, closer, maybe, seeing how Rolf Scamander always left his wife and son to go on various 'business trips'._

"_You can't be like this forever Rosie." He said gently, but firmly, "It's time to get you tidied up and face the world."_

"_WHY CAN'T I JUST STAY HERE A LITTLE LONGER?" Rose snapped. Beneath the sorrow, she was still angry, angry at the Death Eaters, angry at James for telling her, and angry at Lysander for trying too hard to cheer her up, "I like being sad." She turned quieter off of other people's stares, except for Scorpius, who was still buried in his books. Rose sighed; she couldn't just snap at her best friend like this, he was only trying to help._

_Lysander frowned, "Why would anyone like that?"_

_Off of Rose's alarming silence, Lysander persisted, "Look, you can sit here and mop all day, or you can clean up, and be the person you use to be. Happy." He smiled._

"_I'm not the person I use to be." Rose sighed, why can't Lysander learn that everything is different now? Everything reminded her of Albus, and everything hurts so much, "He died, Lysander, my cousin died. No one should ever be the same again."_

"_All I want is for things to be normal." Lysander pleaded, "You're happy, I'm happy, everyone's happy sort of thing."_

"_WELL THIS IS THE NEW NORMAL!" Rose snapped once more, she couldn't control her anger. How dare he suggest them to be happy, when there isn't a single good thing that happened since the term started, "I'm sorry if you're not as affected, but my COUSIN DIED! GONE! HE'S NEVER COMING BACK" She chocked, thinking about it was one thing, but yelling it out in front of the whole library like this?_

"_It's time to stop feeling sorry for yourself Rosie." Lysander persisted. He was stubborn, a trait from Rolf and Luna._

"_Forget it." Rose gathered up her stuff, ignoring the whispers as she made her way across the library. She couldn't care less about what these people say about her anyways. Every last one of them is dead to her._

"_Where are you going?" She heard Lysander calling after her._

"_Going somewhere where I can mourn my family in peace!" She snapped, and stalked her way across the library, sitting at the furthest table she can. She didn't know why she was so irritable, but she'll figure out a way to make it up to him later, she always will. For now, she'll enjoy the little grudge she is holding over him, and read a book in peace._

"_That was quite a scene."_

_Rose jumped at the voice, but smiled slightly as she saw who it was, "Oh, it's you." She didn't mean for it to sound so mean, but still…_

"_It's me." Scorpius smiled back, "You and your boyfriend have got some problems to work out."_

_Rose looked back at the other blonde boy, who disappeared behind the shelves, probably of Magical Creatures; he's fascinated with them like his step-mum, though Rose never really understood why. She was more of a potions and spell kind of witch._

"_Not my boyfriend." Rose muttered, and opened up her book, hoping to pretend to study as well._

"_OH."_

Was that a 'oh' in acknowledgement, or 'oh' as in interested? _Rose's brain was whirling at top speed before she stopped herself, because she shouldn't care, she didn't care._

"_So…" Scorpius dragged out a syllable, forcing Rose to look up at him and his stormy-grey eyes, which were very different from Lysander's sterling blue ones, "What are you reading?"_

"Practical Defense Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts_, lengthy title, but a hell of a read." Rose joked, then shook herself, when was the last time she laughed, let along made someone laugh?_

"_That's a good book." Scorpius commented, "You should check out _Jinx for the Jinxed _though, that's really interesting."_

"_Why are you talking to me?" Rose blurted. She and Scorpius weren't very close, they've always been sort-of 'ask for a quill' kind of friend, but not exactly, 'chat about favourite spell books' kind of friend, and no way near a 'casual conversation in the library' intimacy._

"_You're interesting." Scorpius smirked. Rose hated that she involuntarily blushed; she buried herself in her book again._

"_Why aren't you talking to me?" The Slytherin asked, forcing Rose to resurface once more. She didn't know why Scorpius was so interested in talking to her, she was just boring and plain Rose, the only thing ever interesting in her life being her family, but she couldn't take credit for Uncle Harry's battle with Voldemort. Furthermore, they were in rival houses, and although Albus didn't care too much about the status quo, he wasn't roomed with catty Gryffindor girls who gossip too much for their health._

"_I'm reading." She said, then mentally hit herself in the head, _I'm reading? That's the best you can come up with Rosie?

"_Well, maybe we can talk sometimes when you're not reading." Scorpius said slowly, his grey eyes pierced her blue ones. She felt her knees shook underneath the table, was this really happening? Why was this happening?_

"_Okay." She heard herself say, but she wasn't quite sure what happened._

"_Cool." Scorpius smiled back, not a smirk, but the genuine smile that Rose felt like she just fell in love with, "See you later."_

_It wasn't until five minutes later that Rose realized she's been staring into space, but she didn't really care. For the first time since James brought the news, she felt…better._

* * *

November **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

Rose was in the Room of Requirement once more digging through today's pile of treasures. The novelty of the mysterious room had worn off, and now the ginger girl finally saw it for what it truly was, a stupid giant room of stupid broken stuff. She doubted whether or not she'll really find the Diadem of Ravenclaw, but Rose had to at least try.

"Where would a Hogwarts student even get a Muggle television set?" Rose said in frustration, as she tried to move a broken TV screen away from the next pile of treasure. She cursed her books for not telling her the exact location of the Diadem; then again, she probably should have asked Uncle Harry or her parents about it. After a few minutes she gave up trying, no way was the Diadem going to be there.

"You'd be surprised by the stuff people find in here."

Rose sighed; she knew that voice all too well. For the past week she had been searching within the depth of the Room, trying to find its secrets, but she came short of discovering anything of value, namely a Horcrux. Occasionally, on days like today, Luna would join her in searching, but Rose get the feeling that Luna isn't searching as hard as her. Granted, Rose hasn't told Luna the full potential of the diadem, but someday Luna just seems to be playing with whatever she find like she doesn't even care. I mean, she's a Ravenclaw! Rose thought, at least try for the extra credit!

"Hello Luna." She finally said aloud pleasantly, "See you've found your way back here."

Luna's blonde hair bobbed as she nodded, "I love this room, it sometimes inspires me to do a painting or make something." She scanned the side table immediately to her right, "OH, a beaded bracelet!"

Rose sighed, "Luna, I'm pretty sure it's a dead snake."

Luna shrugged, and put it upon her wrist anyways, "It has pretty scales." And as much as Rose hate snake jewelleries, she had to admit Luna had a point. Though the creature had no life, its brilliant skin suggested it had only died recently, and maintained its beautiful color. She admired Luna for seeing the beauty that no one else could, while being a little creep out by the dead reptile, as while as sighing in the childishness of her 'aunt'.

"Are you up for another day of 'let's hunt for the lost diadem'" Rose said flatly. She didn't really care whether or not Luna helped, but she was curious to know why Luna was here.

"I'm here to warn you about Ginny."

Well, Rose thought, that was quick and not at all expected. As far as Rose could tell, her aunt wasn't very dangerous unless ticked off, and generally friendly.

"I had a conversation with her another day…" Luna trailed off, as if unsure whether to go on or not, but plunged into the conversation anyways, "And she seems to suspect you have another reason to go to school here."

"You mean other than going to school?" Rose joked. She sometimes does that when she's panicking, her dad's gene she guessed.

Luna shrugged once more, "I suppose."

"And you're telling me this because…?" Rose looked deeply at Luna, but as usual, her grey-eyes do not reveal any secret.

"I trust you." Luna smiled innocently, "And I just want to tell you that she's suspicious, that's all."

Rose had good grounds to believe that Luna was not manipulative or self-serving, but alas, she was a Ravenclaw, and Rose knew how curiosity killed the cat. Surely Luna was wondering a bit on Rose, Hugo and Aly's sudden appearance to school. She did her best 'prefect glare' she got when she was 15, and tried the best to stare her down. It was hard considering Rose had known Luna as an older, and wiser woman most of her life, but she think she managed well.

"Fine." Luna's facial expression didn't change much, but a smile came upon her face, "I kind of what to know why you're here as well."

"Not telling." Rose smirked. It could sound just as if she had nothing to hide but just playing along with the game. She looked around at the tiny mess she made and sighed. There was no way she would find the Diadem any time soon, so she might as well just leave. Besides, another moment with Luna means another moment for Luna to find a way to interrogate her, and sooner or later, she's going to give in. "I've got to go. Big Potions test tomorrow." Like she didn't already know all of Slughorn's questions.

"See you later." Luna smiled good naturally, "I'll hunt for another bracelet." She waved her dead snake jewelry in the air. As Rose disappeared into the hallway, Luna picked a blue jeweled diadem out of her pocket, "Wonder why she needs this." She turned it over to the outside, which had shining letters encrypted in it: _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure._

* * *

"WHAT?"

Hugo had always admired his best friend. He saw some honorable qualities that no one else really sees. For example, Aly would do anything to help others; even it means hurting herself, for another, she cares a lot about her family, even her father who had left her years ago. If Hugo's dad had just plucked up and leaves (which would never happen, he hoped), he, Hugo wouldn't be able to forgive him, but Aly has the amazing ability to see the best in people, even if it doesn't exist. But it was not until today he really known how much these qualities can hurt her.

"I said that I don't feel like Hannah and Neville should get together." Aly sighed. About two months into the mission, the trio had pretty much got used to calling their relatives by their first names, and not like 'dad' or 'uncle' or something. After her slip up a few weeks ago, Hugo knew that Aly was putting in extra effort to keep up her alias.

Hugo was speechless, trying to form some sort of response to Aly's declaration. Aly was smart, not Rose smart or anything, but had enough common sense to know the consequences of time travel. They all did.

"You know you won't exist unless they get married, right?" Hugo confirmed, in case Aly got hit in the head by a rogue bludger or something.

"I know." Aly insisted, "But it just seems…wrong."

"What exactly is wrong about your parents dating?" Hugo sighed. Sometimes he just doesn't get the way that girl thinks. It'll be really helpful if there was a guide or something.

"The way I knew them, they're always fighting." Aly explained, "I just don't want them to end up being so unhappy." She looked torn, "My mum cried for a whole week after dad left, and almost never left her room. I haven't made contact with the man for two whole years, Hugo." Her big brown eyes now drowning in tears, "I don't want them to get hurt."

"It's like the thing with the Sword of Gryffindor Aly." Hugo insisted, "Whatever happened, we're here to ensure that it happens again, and that no Death Eater or Cult stops it."

"You sound like your sister!" Her voice was almost accusing, "Telling me what has to be done, or not be done. Have you actually considered that maybe we're here to change the past? After all, that great force in the universe also made the Cult came back, and you can't tell me that's a good idea."

Hugo shook his head. He doesn't know what's wrong with the girl. At first she was reluctant to go on the mission _because _of the dangers, but now she's voluntarily creating some?

"Would you rather die, or let things play out the way they should?" Hugo questioned. He knew this would work, as shown by Aly's eyes quickly dimming from the fire it had a few moments ago. He also felt a little guilt, he really shouldn't manipulate his best friend like this, but he had no other choice. Hugo wasn't losing her.

"I'm just saying…" Aly trailed off, "I don't know…" she sighed in pain, "I just want them to be happy so much, to not go through all this pain I know they will." Her brown eyes meeting his blue ones, "They don't deserve it."

Comprehension suddenly filled Hugo's brain, as he remembered a conversation he had with Aly about a certain blonde Ravenclaw.

"This is about Luna, isn't it?" Hugo asked softly. Aly's eyes widened in surprise, but Hugo thought he saw a bit of panic and fear in there as well, as if he discovered her secret.

"It's about your dad, and Luna." Hugo repeated, "You'd rather they get together."

"NO!" Aly protested a second too quickly, "It has nothing to do with her!"

Hugo shrugged nonchalantly, as if talking about the weather, "You think that your dad doesn't deserve a failed marriage…" He paused, watching Aly's reaction very quickly, to pick out any little lie that she might try to hide, "…but he does deserve her."

Aly pouted, "I'm saying that they could find someone who will make them happy, and whether it is Luna for Neville, I am not to judge." She said haughtily, and raised her head trying to intimidate Hugo, which didn't work well because he was half a head taller than she was.

"Aly…" he sighed, suddenly serious, "Promise me you won't break them apart." He grabbed her shoulder gently, and cringed as Aly flinched a bit, but continued, "Promise me you'll let whatever happens, happens." His blue eyes bored into hers, neither could look away now, "Promise me you're not dying for this."

Aly was stubborn, he knew that, but he also knew that she genuinely cared for others, and she wouldn't let him live without her, she wouldn't.

"I promise." She said, raised her chin a little higher, shook Hugo's hand off of her shoulder, and started towards the Great Hall, "Unless you'd rather starve…" a smile played at her lips. Hugo knew she was trying to change the subject, but he'll let her, just this once.

* * *

"I'm not amused Neville."

Ginny's glare of death is something feared by many, but being her friend, Neville had pretty much gotten used to the glare, not to mention he was a whole head taller and a whole year older.

"I'm not really trying to amuse you here." Neville shrugged, "I really think they're just ordinary people."

Ginny rolled her eyes and flipped her long coppery hair, which anyone who knew her knows it meant that Ginny was pissed off, but Neville grew stronger since the fifth year, and although he is still kind of afraid of her Bat-Bogey Hex, he can probably take her now.

"Ordinary people who knows everything there is to know about…him." Ginny finished hastily, she haven't mentioned Harry's name for a long time, and Neville doesn't blame her. It hurts, not just because they didn't know whether or not Harry is safe out there, but also because they abandoned them here, with the Carrows and Snape of all people. It's a mixture of worry, dread, and anger, piled with anxiety, loads of those.

"He's pretty famous." Luna spoke up with her dreamy voice, "And really Ginny, what could they be hiding?"

Ginny looked scandalized at that question, clearly alarmed that Luna didn't think the same way as she did, but honestly, how could she expect it? Ginny and Luna are like the sun and the moon, light and dark, day and night, to compare them would be nearly impossible.

"What could they-"

"Shhh." Madam Pince's harsh tone came out of nowhere, as Neville received a smack on the back with a hard covered spell book.

"Ouch." He muttered underneath his breath. It wasn't fair he was punished for Ginny's outburst."

"I don't get why we're meeting here anyways." Neville grumbled. The library would not be the first choice of any secret meeting, especially one regarding _the _Harry Potter.

"Luna can't come into the Gryffindor Tower, and anywhere else would look suspicious." Ginny said, "It's truly a flaw in the Hogwarts plan, but I suppose they were trying to avoid this."

"At least there's Hogsmeade coming up." Luna sighed, "The End of November, right?"

"Along with the first Quidditch match." Ginny grinned for the first time as they sat at this dusty place, "I'm going to break some Slytherin bones."

Neville was glad they found a change in the topic, as he wasn't very eager to talk about the new students. Rose and Hugo were nice enough, but Aly? She seems a little too friendly for someone that Neville only knew for 2 months, not that she was mean or anything, in fact, Aly seemed to be putting in a lot of effort to befriend him. Neville never had such thing happen before, not a lot of people are keen to be seen with him. He wondered why Aly talked to him so often. Maybe that's the type of 'suspicious' behaviour Ginny was talking about.

"Hey guys." Rose glided into the library, Ginny and Luna fell silent at once, "Studying for the Potions Test?"

Luna nodded innocently, and smiled at Rose. Ginny glared at the other ginger coldly, which Rose did not respond well to and awkwardly settled her bag, "I'm just going to get some books." She said quickly and disappeared into the shelves.

"Wonder why she carries that bag with her all the time." Ginny questioned aloud. Neville glanced over at Luna nervously, surely she's not thinking of…

"Ginny." Neville said warningly, "You're not…"

It was too late, the younger brown-eyed girl was searching past the bags already, however, the search didn't last long as Ginny suddenly pulled her hand out with an yelp, then glanced around for the appearance of Madam Pince, however, the stern woman was scolding some young Hufflepuffs a few desks over, and didn't hear Ginny's cry of pain.

"What is it?" Luna said, only mildly curious, like things like this happen all the time. Then again, Neville thought as he looked at the unusual bracelet around Luna's delicate wrist, maybe it does in her world.

"A galleon." Ginny pulled out a fat yellow coin, "But it's burning hot…" She paused, and then looked as if something dawned upon her, "Like the DA coins."

Luna and Neville exchanged glances once more, they were fairly certain they've never mentioned Dumbledore's Army in front of Rose before. The name itself would have had the three of them in detention for a week, and no way did they tell her about the secret message passing between them.

Ginny hesitantly turned the galleon sideways so what would have been the serial number would be right side up, and read the minuscular writing.

"It's about time?" Ginny questioned, "What the bloody hell does that mean?"

Unfortunately, they had no time to try and figure it out, as a skinny figure reappeared from the books.

"Most of the Potions books are checked out…" Rose said as she reappeared. If she had not been looking past the bookshelf as she walked into the light, Ginny wouldn't had time to stuff the galleon in her bag and slide it across the table, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing." Ginny was the first to recover, "Nothing at all."

* * *

November **Year 1998 **Britain Countryside

* * *

Lysander has never been in such a horrible state. His back still ached from Bellatrix's jinx, and the labour Lily put them through to turn the campsite back into its original state, and now his ears hurt from the banging retorts Harry and Ron were throwing back and forth between them.

"HERMIONE HAS GONE MISSING HARRY, AREN'T YOU A BIT WORRIED?"

"I AM RONALD, BUT OUR, MY TOP PRIORITY IS THE HORCRUXES!"

"SO YOU DON'T EVEN CARE THAT YOUR BEST FRIEND IS MISSING?"

"OF COURSE I CARE, BUT SHE'S HERMIONE, SHE'LL FIGURE SOMETHING OUT!"

"IT'S BELLATRIX LESTRANGE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE! HERMIONE WON'T HAVE TIME TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT BEFORE SHE IS DEAD!"

Lysander secretly sided with Ron, he knew the brutality of Bellatrix, and wouldn't be surprised if Hermione's scream could be heard from here. However, he refrained from telling them so as to not cause more rifts between the two.

"You!" Ron pointed his figure at Lysander, "You say you're from the future."

"Ehh…" Lysander was shocked at the sudden change of subject, "I am?"

"So?" Ron asked expectantly, "Should we go get Hermione or what?" He asked obviously, looking from Lysander to Lily to Scorpius, who all shrugged.

"This wasn't part of the plan." Lily admitted finally, "Hermione never got captured. Clearly it was the Cult's doing. They knew every place we'd be are and all the spells we were going to use." She sighed bitterly, "Damn those Harry Potter fan books!"

Harry looked slightly amused at this point, but Ron was not in a joking mood. Lysander guessed that if Rose was in danger, he would've been just as aggressive as Ron at the moment, especially since he was _not _in denial about his feelings.

"So you have no idea what we should do?" Ron asked, grabbing Lily by the shoulder and shaking her, "WE HAVE TO SAVE HER!"

"Woah." Lysander grew defensive. Lily was like his sister, and when she is threatened a switch goes off and he gets all big brother defensive, "Step away from her."

Ron was hysterical now, but he let go of Lily never the less. Losing one's true love tends to have that affect, but Ron was known to be dramatic.

"Come on mate…" Harry said hesitantly, looking at the other three, but Lysander didn't think he'd be of any help, and by the looks of it, neither did Scorpius and Lily. In fact, Scorpius wore a sour expression that suggested he'd rather not be involved in this, "We'll…we'll look for her, alright?"

Ron looked up finally, but with an expression of gratefulness or thankfulness, "Good." Then turned to the three time travelers, "Where do we go?" He demanded.

Lysander and Scorpius both looked towards Lily, although the two blonde boys had graduated top class from Hogwarts in History of Magic (reluctantly and through tons of hard work, of course), Lily had the real boy who lived back in her house. Though they refrained from telling the others this information, it was still true that Lily knew more about her father's history than any one of them, other than Rose, of course, but Lysander refused to think about her. It's about the mission now; he'll sort out his personal problems when he gets home.

"Malfoy Manor." Lily replied, "It's the headquarters of the Death Eaters now…"

Ron made a quick motion for the remaining of supplies they had left, a broken tent Lily managed to patch up, as well as a bit of food and water, "What are you waiting for?" He asked Harry as he made no move to travel, "Daisies to grow or something?"

Harry sighed, "It isn't that simple breaking into the Death Eater's headquarter mate, _he's _there as well."

_Voldemort._

Ron didn't look very impressed, "But you're Harry _Freakin' _Potter!"

"I'm not a superhero Ron." Harry looked very annoyed, "W-we need a plan!"

"Hermione usually comes up with the plans." Ron said sulkily, and sat down, dejected, on one of the rocks.

"No fret unc-Ron!" Lily quickly corrected herself, "I know someone just as smart as Hermione, and I bet she's willing to help."

Ron looked slightly hopeful, but Harry is skeptical. Lysander supposed it's not easy trusting someone whom you've just known for two month, and if they were traitors, it'll be very easy to strike Harry and Ron without the center that holds them together, Hermione.

"Her name is Rose…" Lily began, as Lysander carefully observed Scorpius as well, he seemed pale (more than usual) at the sound of her name, "And it's about time you meet her!"

* * *

**So it just occur to me that I haven't really given any character background, as well as any information regarding Albus' death (IT'S A PLOT POINT STOP YELLING AT ME), AND I haven't written any Rose/Scorpius romance (HUGE part of the story in part 2), or Rose/Lysander friendship (not as big, but just sayin'), so that's what the flashback was for. Maybe I'll develop an actual pre-quel later? That'd be cool.**

**So, ya, they're going off to meet Rose! Well, they might meet Rose. AHHHH I SPOIL EVERYTHING FOR YOU GUYS! In fact, You can get a little sneak peek at the next chapter, coming your way by the end of the Easter Weekend! (I say hopefully)**

* * *

**Chapter 8: It's About Time**

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Hogsmeade, Scotland

* * *

Hogsmeade is exactly the way Lily Luna Potter had remembered it since her third year at Hogwarts, but it's a lot more…scary, not to mention ominous. She had sent the message to Rose, and praise the lord that she had received it without complication. Then again, she was able to send Lily messages without too much trouble, so the other way shouldn't be terrible. Now she, Lysander, Scorpius, Ron and Harry are at the selected meeting place, Hog's Head. Lily missed Aunt Hermione very much, and never truly appreciated her presence until now. She had to break up two fights between Ron and Harry, as well as Lysander and Scorpius, both times about _girls_. Lily was pretty popular, being the daughter of the boy who lived, but she had never had boys _fighting _over her. She wondered if Rose knew how lucky she was, then again, from her side couldn't be much more fun either.

"We're here." Ron said flatly, he had become more impatient than ever after a few days since Hermione's absence, and when he had to wear the Horcrux for safety reasons, it just made him worse.

"Take it off Ron." Lily suggested gently, pointing towards his neck, "You'll feel better."

Ron scowled, as he shook off the golden chain. It was really evil, the locket, with a part of _his _soul in it, probably one of the most evil things present, and Lily had the pleasure of wearing it every Tuesday and rotating Thursdays.

"Now what?" Ron said unpleasantly as he shoved the locket into the awaiting hand of Lysander, but he did not look any different.

"We go see an old friend." Lily breathes.

* * *

"Hope the trip wasn't too tiring."

Aberforth Dumbledore had an uncanny resemblance to his brother, as Lily looked out the corner of her eyes at the portrait on the wall, she saw the similarity was closer between him and his sister, but she chose not to mention too much in front of Harry and Ron, it took a while to convince Aberforth to let them hide out here and use the tunnel, she didn't want to look more suspicious, knowing too much about his family.

"Oh yes, time travelling is really a piece of cake." Scorpius said dryly between sips of Butterbeer, "It's the part after that's a bit tricky."

Aberforth smiled, which Lily had the feeling was very rare to come by, "I like this one. What's your name?"

"Samuel Malone." Scorpius said unblushingly, Lily knew that he was not a stranger to lying, "Please to meet you Aberforth."

"I'm Lacey." Lily said impatiently, "That's Lenny, now can we get the show on the road?"

Aberforth nodded towards the portrait of Ariana, as the young girl disappeared into the background, "They'll be waiting on the other side?"

Lily nodded, though she felt a little less sure than she appeared. Rose hasn't sent a message back, what on earth would that mean? "I'm sure."

"I'm sorry." Ohh, snappy Ron is back, "Who's waiting on the other what?"

"It's a secret passage." Lysander piped up, "We've read about it in _Hogwarts: A Marauder's Guide, _the only one that is unplottable and can only be used at dire needs."

Harry perked at the words Marauders, and then Lily felt a drop in her heart as his face fell. All four of them are dead, even traitor Peter, whose last act saved Harry and friends. Then again, Lily, Lysander and Scorpius' presence probably changed it, perhaps Lupin and Peter won't die this time.

"While we're waiting…" Scorpius started, "How about a round of drinks?" Aberforth grunted and pulled out a dusty looking bottle and passed it around.

"It's on me." Scorpius continued and pulled out a bag of Galleons, but not before Lysander slapped a bunch of sickles on the desk, "It's good." He smirked, clearly enjoying Scorpius' discomfort. Lily rolled her eyes, _boys, _she thought as she took a sip of her drink, and immediately spit it out, "What the bloody hell is this?"

"Firewhiskey." Scorpius and Lysander said simultaneously, and then glared at each other in unison as well. With both of their blonde hair and similar built, Lily was stuck at how similar they look, well, Lysander was a little shorter, but still. Rose definitely had a type.

"If this is what Alcohol tastes like, I'm not in danger of being addicted any time soon." Lily gagged, and pulled out another coin, "A glass of Butterbeer please."

Aberforth grunted again and reached for more dusty cups from the counter, passed it over to Lily, and uncomfortably stared her down as she drank, "You look familiar." He decided finally. Lily choked on her drink, she didn't have Harry's eyes, and she hoped she didn't look particularly similar to Ginny. She cursed inwardly, why couldn't she think of doing an appearance charm to disguise herself?

"I'm fairly certain we haven't met." Lily said meekly, "Unless you also enjoy time traveling to save Harry Potter."

"Can't say I do." Aberforth said roughly and reached for his own bottle of mead. They six-some settled into an uncomfortable silence as they waited for the others to arrive. Lily's got this uncomfortable sense in her stomach that she's very sure won't go away soon.

* * *

**Just saying', it's almost Christmas (like, 3 chapters later), and a _certain _someone will be making an appearance. Hmmm? Yup, I give too many spoilers. Anyways, enjoy what's left of the weekend and READ ON FELLOW POTTERHEADS!**

**~Lilies**


	9. VIII: It's About Time

**Chapter 8: It's About Time**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Hogsmeade

**L. Potter** – Hogsmeade

**J. Potter** – MIA

**L. Scamander **– Hogsmeade

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Hogsmeade, Scotland

* * *

Hogsmeade is exactly the way Lily Luna Potter had remembered it since her third year at Hogwarts, but it's a lot more…scary, not to mention ominous. She had sent the message to Rose, and praise the lord that she had received it without complication. Then again, she was able to send Lily messages without too much trouble, so the other way shouldn't be terrible. Now she, Lysander, Scorpius, Ron and Harry are at the selected meeting place, Hog's Head. Lily missed Aunt Hermione very much, and never truly appreciated her presence until now. She had to break up two fights between Ron and Harry, as well as Lysander and Scorpius, both times about _girls_. Lily was pretty popular, being the daughter of the boy who lived, but she had never had boys _fighting _over her. She wondered if Rose knew how lucky she was, then again, from her side couldn't be much more fun either.

"We're here." Ron said flatly, he had become more impatient than ever after a few days since Hermione's absence, and when he had to wear the Horcrux for safety reasons, it just made him worse.

"Take it off Ron." Lily suggested gently, pointing towards his neck, "You'll feel better."

Ron scowled, as he shook off the golden chain. It was really evil, the locket, with a part of _his _soul in it, probably one of the most evil things present, and Lily had the pleasure of wearing it every Tuesday and rotating Thursdays.

"Now what?" Ron said unpleasantly as he shoved the locket into the awaiting hand of Lysander, but he did not look any different.

"We go see an old friend." Lily breathes.

* * *

"Hope the trip wasn't too tiring."

Aberforth Dumbledore had an uncanny resemblance to his brother, as Lily looked out the corner of her eyes at the portrait on the wall, she saw the similarity was closer between him and his sister, but she chose not to mention too much in front of Harry and Ron, it took a while to convince Aberforth to let them hide out here and use the tunnel, she didn't want to look more suspicious, knowing too much about his family.

"Oh yes, time travelling is really a piece of cake." Scorpius said dryly between sips of Butterbeer, "It's the part after that's a bit tricky."

Aberforth smiled, which Lily had the feeling was very rare to come by, "I like this one. What's your name?"

"Samuel Malone." Scorpius said unblushingly, Lily knew that he was not a stranger to lying, "Please to meet you Aberforth."

"I'm Lacey." Lily said impatiently, "That's Lenny, now can we get the show on the road?"

Aberforth nodded towards the portrait of Ariana, as the young girl disappeared into the background, "They'll be waiting on the other side?"

Lily nodded, though she felt a little less sure than she appeared. Rose hasn't sent a message back, what on earth would that mean? "I'm sure."

"I'm sorry." Ohh, snappy Ron is back, "Who's waiting on the other what?"

"It's a secret passage." Lysander piped up, "We've read about it in _Hogwarts: A Marauder's Guide, _the only one that is unplottable and can only be used at dire needs."

Harry perked at the words Marauders, and then Lily felt a drop in her heart as his face fell. All four of them are dead, even traitor Peter, whose last act saved Harry and friends. Then again, Lily, Lysander and Scorpius' presence probably changed it, perhaps Lupin and Peter won't die this time.

"While we're waiting…" Scorpius started, "How about a round of drinks?" Aberforth grunted and pulled out a dusty looking bottle and passed it around.

"It's on me." Scorpius continued and pulled out a bag of Galleons, but not before Lysander slapped a bunch of sickles on the desk, "It's good." He smirked, clearly enjoying Scorpius' discomfort. Lily rolled her eyes, _boys, _she thought as she took a sip of her drink, and immediately spit it out, "What the bloody hell is this?"

"Firewhiskey." Scorpius and Lysander said simultaneously, and then glared at each other in unison as well. With both of their blonde hair and similar built, Lily was stuck at how similar they look, well, Lysander was a little shorter, but still. Rose definitely had a type.

"If this is what Alcohol tastes like, I'm not in danger of being addicted any time soon." Lily gagged, and pulled out another coin, "A glass of Butterbeer please."

Aberforth grunted again and reached for more dusty cups from the counter, passed it over to Lily, and uncomfortably stared her down as she drank, "You look familiar." He decided finally. Lily choked on her drink, she didn't have Harry's eyes, and she hoped she didn't look particularly similar to Ginny. She cursed inwardly, why couldn't she think of doing an appearance charm to disguise herself?

"I'm fairly certain we haven't met." Lily said meekly, "Unless you also enjoy time traveling to save Harry Potter."

"Can't say I do." Aberforth said roughly and reached for his own bottle of mead. They six-some settled into an uncomfortable silence as they waited for the others to arrive. Lily's got this uncomfortable sense in her stomach that she's very sure won't go away soon.

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"I've got to ask you something."

Aly looked up at a very familiar face, except slightly different. 17 year old Hannah Abbott was not yet a Longbottom, and had sparkling and hopeful eyes of a Hufflepuff, "Sure Hannah." She said as if she wasn't talking to her mother in her youth.

"So…" Hannah started awkwardly, sliding down onto a bench in the Great Hall, "I'm thinking of asking Neville out."

"Great." Aly was slightly confused, but never the less happy. She was going to exist after all, but still, how did this concern her? "What about it."

"Well…I've seen you hanging around him a lot." Hannah bit her lips in hesitation, "It's almost like you're following him." Her voice was very chipper despite her slightly confused expression.

"Okay then." It was not any clearer, but Aly had an idea where her mum was getting to…

"I was just thinking that, if you want to be his girl-"

"NOOO!" Aly protested before Hannah could even finish her sentence, "No. No. No. No. No. No. No." She said in one huge breath, as if just saying it once wouldn't get through Hannah's thick head, "No." She repeated one last time, it was almost laughable, really, if it wasn't so horrid, "He's all yours." _sort of._

Hannah's face was of total relief, "Really?" She smiled genuinely, Aly doesn't even remember the last time she saw her mum wear that expression, it was nice, but not extraordinarily pretty, "'Cause you sure seem to hang around him a lot."

"That's repulsive." Aly said. If Hannah knew the truth… "Really, I don't like Neville that way."

"He's a swell guy." Hannah sighed. Aly felt something stir in her stomach. _Swell? Is that the best adjective? _Boy was she being judgmental today.

Hannah smiled good-naturally and began settling into the seat, "I'm going to wait for him." She declared, "He usually sits beside you, right?" She said through a mouthful of shepherd pie. _Did Hannah always talk with her mouth full? _Aly questioned, but dismissed it.

"Yeah, usually followed by…"

"Luna." Hannah finished her sentence, gesturing towards the couple by the door. It seemed that either Luna didn't have any class at all and Neville's NEWT class was really straining on him, or that he was carrying her books, which, by the stern look that Aly knew better, did not sit well with Hannah.

"That's my competition, isn't it?" Hannah sighed, "Not you, the blonde Ravenclaw."

_My dad isn't some prize to be won, _Aly thought inside of her, but saying it out loud would be ridiculous, "They're just friends." Aly tried to reassure her mother, but that was not heard over Luna's twinkling laugh at Neville's jokes, which weren't _that _funny.

Hannah was more serious now, far beyond the dreamy seventeen year old with a big fat crush, she leaned closer to Aly, "You know us Hufflepuffs." Hannah sighed, "Sweet, loyal, patient." She leaned back against the table and looked longingly at the two couple, who were standing far too close for a platonic relationship, "I've liked him for so long, since the Battle of the Ministry, actually."

_That really wasn't very long, _Aly thought. It almost sounded like Hannah only liked Neville because he's _heroic, _but that' can't be true.

"But I'm tired of waiting." Hannah declared suddenly, "I'm going to march over there and ask him out!" She stood up importantly, as Luna made her way towards the lunch table, but Neville did not, she sat back down, slightly disappointed, embarrassed, and confused.

"Where's Neville?" Aly asked, so Hannah wouldn't sound or feel very clingy.

"He forgot his Transfiguration book." Luna shrugged, "It's all my fault, he was too busy carrying mine. Bless him; I hope the Nargles on the second floor doesn't catch him." She said nonchalantly as she sat by Aly, "What did I miss?"

On that cue, Hannah burst out in tears and retreated after Neville, running past the Great Hall front door with eyes following her, startled, and made her way down to the Kitchen Corridor, where Aly knew the Hufflepuff Common Room were.

"Was it something I said?" Luna wondered mildly, before digging into her own pie.

"I've got to ask you something." Aly began, although she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer, "Do you like Neville?"

As usual, Luna's expression was calm and collected, hardly showing any emotion, well, any surprises at least. Her warm and pretty smile was still present, though a little faltered from the unexpected-ness.

"Very much." She replied, "It almost felt as if I have friends now." She smiled.

Aly ignored Luna's comment, which is the best way to deal with it, really. Luna had been friendless for most of her life, and Aly truly felt sympathy at that, but she really didn't want to remind Luna every day that she _did _have friends. It was almost like a foreign custom to her.

"I mean, the other way." Aly specified, but she wasn't sure Luna knew what it meant.

"You mean like a boyfriend." Luna said bluntly, her expression still remaining scarily neutral in a faint smile, as if they were talking about the weather, stabbing the pie a little too hard with her fork.

"Yeah." Aly said slowly, wondering if she was close enough to Luna to ask her so.

"Ummm…" Luna thought out loud, "He is very nice, but I'm not sure I want a boyfriend yet. Daddy said that kissing is how the Blibbering Humdinger transmits their disease!"

Even though Aly knew Luna was a magical creature enthusiast and often created beings, this was definitely a plot to try and avoid the topic, "Luna." She whined slightly. It did work on the adult version, if Aly remembered corrected from the Christmas gatherings.

"No." Luna said firmly, but her eyes slightly dimmed from her usual gleaming-ness, and Aly knew she was lying.

The real problem was, what was she going to do about it?

* * *

Ginny Weasley marched down the corridor of Hogwarts with a purpose, as little third years shy away from her as the soles of her Mary Janes clicked on the hardwood floor. Her usual air of confidence was there, but there was something else as well, a thrive, a destination. It wasn't just some regular old Charming class she was going to and the rest of the students knew that, as they part like red sea as she walked by.

"Ginny!" She groaned. It was that annoying Creevey kid from her year. Even though he was sixteen and should be preoccupied with stuff like girls and school and whatever, Colin was a little too chippers for his age and very overly excited. Ginny was nice enough to him, but sometimes he can really get on her nerve.

"Did you hear any news from _Harry_?" A lump came at her throat at the sound of _his _name, but she made no change. Colin asked her this about ten times a day, more if they were in the same class, and somehow got away from the Carrows for saying _his _name so often, but the answer was the same every time.

"Sorry Colin." She smiled brightly at the boy, "I've got to go to Charms."

"I can walk with you! My Herbology class is on the way." Colin said even brighter. Since Ginny was _his _girlfriend for all but a few glorious months, Colin regarded her as some sort of royalty. Not that Ginny didn't like the special treatment, but it was very annoying, and in this case, she had someone to meet.

"Scratch that." Ginny laughed uncharacteristically, "I've actually got a spare, but you've got to get to Herbology." And before he could protest, "Cheerios Colin!" And stalked away quickly, taking a detour, and arrived at Charms class five minutes late. At least it wasn't Dart Arts or Muggle Studies, Ginny thought venomously, Flitwick actually cared if the students are alive.

"Sit down Ms. Weasley." Flitwick's squeaky voice beckoned her to quickly take a seat as she semi-paid attention to the lecture. Charms was an easy class, and today's lesson (the water conjuring charm) was something Ginny knew how to do since 4th year (_he _taught it to her). As buckets appeared in front of the students, Ginny quietly made her way to her best friend and whispered, "_Muffliato."_

"What's up?" Luna said dreamily, her bucket already half full, comparing to the empty ones of the other poor Ravenclaws across the room.

"Compare notes, did you go talk to Rose?" Ginny demanded.

"No, didn't see her today." Luna said nonchalantly, "I did talk to Aly at lunch though; she said some very interesting things about Neville."

Ginny thought she would. That brunette had been hanging around Neville too much for her liking, not that she liked Neville, but she did detect a hint of jealously from Luna.

"Ugh." Ginny sighed, "Are we ever going to find out what 'It's About Time' means?" As her bucket was overfilled and she quickly did a vanishing charm, "It could mean anything! What if she's a secret Death Eater or something? WE HAVE TO KNOW!"

"If they were Death Eaters, we would be dead right now." Luna pointed it out, "And besides, it could be just a special edition galleon. Daddy's got on with a Wrackspurt on it; it's quite interesting because it's so much bigger than the average galleon."

"We have to interrogate them." Ginny decided, "The school isn't safe with Snape and the Carrows around, the last thing we need is some traitor in our midst. I say we find the weak link, and crush it." She pounded her fist on the table, though the 6th years nearby did not notice.

Luna seemed unfazed by Ginny's sudden declaration, and instead poured another stream of water into her bucket, "You seem very aggravated lately, Ginny." She said calmly.

"So what if I am?" Ginny looked very defensive, as she crossed her arm around her chest. She knew Luna was only trying to comfort her, but she was FINE!

"Nothing." Luna said all nonchalantly, "You're right though, we do need to find out what's going on." She sighed, as if not wanting to believe if, "I really hope that they turn out to be regular people."

Ginny sighed, the strain of war inside Hogwarts was great, she couldn't really trust anyone if she couldn't trust her friends, "Me too."

* * *

_Remind me never to cross Aunt Ginny during family reunions._

Hugo was currently tied up in a chair in the middle of a fairly large broom closet (unnaturally big, actually), with two pairs of eyes staring down at him. One was brown, stern, and a bit scary, and the other was sterling grey and mild. He knew those eyes very well, having been to every reunion his parents ever had with their closest friends. If he thought an adult Ginny was bad, clearly the teenage one was worse (It's the hormones!).

"So Hugo." Ginny said superiorly, "Do you know why you're in a broom closet?"

"You finally figured out the library wasn't a good rendezvous point and switched to a more secure location?" Hugo guessed at random, but by the angry look of Aunt Ginny, he knew it wasn't right.

"We know." She said, glancing at Luna, "We know your little secret, Hugo, there's no point hiding it."

Hugo's stomach dropped, who could've told? Aly was way careful about everything since the Neville incident, and Rose? She would never! He hoped he didn't leave some sort of clue or something accidentally, because his sister will KILL him.

"Well, I guess there's no point of hiding it anymore." Hugo sighed. What's the worst that could happen if they knew, right?

"You're a Death Eater."

"I travelled through time."

"WHAT?"

_Rose is going to kill me, _Hugo grumbled inside, he couldn't believe is own flesh and blood thought he was a Death Eater! What an insult? Then again, he just blew their whole cover using 4 words and cracked less than two minutes, he wasn't much better at this.

"Time Travelers." Luna said, snapping back to conversation. No doubt she was thinking about some creature called a Dinglehopper or something until she find this conversation interesting, "From when?"

"In the future." He said vaguely, inwardly amused at Ginny's angry expression, "Now if you will untie me, I'm going to go and be slayed by my sister."

"She's still your sister than." Ginny pondered, "It figures, you two do look alike, and I assume the bit about Aly being your step-sister isn't that far-fetched either?"

Neville's face appeared in Hugo's brain for no reason as he answered, "Sort of." Well, one secret down, he really hoped they didn't know Legilimency and find out he's actually their nephew, which would be even more terrible. He'd probably be killed twice by Rose, and then five more times by Uncle Harry, _and then _he'll face his parents.

"Hmm." Ginny said, "I was not expecting this."

A brief silence hangs over them, as Luna was the one to break the silence. Hugo knew the Ravenclaw curiosity couldn't stay hidden for too long, "What is the meaning of 'It's About Time'?"

_That's new information, _Hugo thought, _Rose received a message from Lily? _"We'll have to rendezvous with some of our friend at Hogsmeade, and soon." Hugo replied.

"There's more of you." Ginny cried as she paced around in the medium-sized closet, "That's just beautiful." She sighed, "What are we supposed to do with 4…"

"7." Hugo cuts in.

"7 TIME TRAVELERS!" Ginny cried, "Why are you guys even here? Like, isn't there a time-space-continuum thing that's supposed to be protected or something?"

Hugo sighed; this was not going so well, "I might as well start at the beginning…"

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Hog's Head, Hogsmeade

* * *

"Where are they?" Ron said impatiently as he paced Hog's Head. Scorpius rolled his eyes inwardly, but he couldn't be too annoyed with Ron, he was _her _dad after all.

"They'll be here." Lily promised, but she was looking very anxious as well, "I know they'll be here."

"Are you sure the message was sent?" Scorpius whispered, "I mean, did she write back or anything?"

"If Lily's sure they'll come, they'll come." Lysander cuts in, "Calm down."

Scorpius narrowed his eyes. He was asking an innocent question, that's all, why did Lysander have to _disagree _with _every _little thing he says? The other blonde was glaring at the Malfoy boy as well, Scorpius felt like he was in one of that Western Muggle Films Rose used to make him watch. She didn't really like them either, but it was better than the romantic comedy, that's for sure.

"Don't start." Lily said boringly, "If you're going to fight, take it to the other room so we don't get _another _headache."

The two blondes threw another dirty look at each other before retreating to opposite sides of the room. Scorpius leaned against the wall besides the painting of Ariana, while Lysander sat down by the Butterbeers and Lily. It was eerily quiet in Hog's Head, as none of them felt like talking. Scorpius could just imagine what would be going on through each of their heads right now.

_Where are they where are they where are they? _Thought Lily as she paced around nervously, though determined to find it from the others.

_He is the most stupid, arrogant, terrible… _Lysander would probably be throwing all the insults that thick head of his could carry at Scorpius mentally, but that's not going to do any good or harm.

_I hope we can trust them, _Ron's crossed arms and equally crossed look suggested. Scorpius really hoped Harry and Ron would trust them. It's no good to have doubts about anyone, especially in a time like this.

Aberforth was probably complaining he'll have to work again though, Scorpius thought, he was grunted by the corner and watching them all suspiciously, as if the table might set on fire because of Ron's hair or something.

Harry's expression was the hardest to read, he was calm, but thinking, of what? Scorpius could only make wild guess. He could be brooding like usual, but in that brilliant brain of his, Scorpius knew that sometimes good things come out of it, so he left them to be.

"Do you hear something?" Lily suddenly asked. The air went cold, as the lights flicked on and off, a rash fear overcame Scorpius, _no, _he thought, _they couldn't have known._

"Aberforth." Ron said warningly, as if it was all the old bar owner's fault, "Turn up the fire a bit, will you?"

Just then, the fire died out completely, and an ominous feeling rushed on to him.

"Dementors." Harry and Lily whispered simultaneously, then drew out their wands, "Disguise yourselves." Lily warned, "Especially you d-Harry, it's too dangerous for you here."

With a nod, Harry pointed the wand at his face and did some nonverbal magic; however, Scorpius didn't see the result, because all the lanterns went out as well. Suddenly images started to flow inside his head, _their break-up, his grandfather, his teasing fellow Slytherins for going out with the 'mudblood's' daughter. _Scorpius didn't have much of terrible happen in his life, nothing too traumatizing, but he saw Harry shivering in the corner, as well as Ron and Lily. He wondered what Lily could be experiencing, and then it hit him.

_Albus' death. He couldn't face the crowd for a week, and no one tried to help him. One of his only friend in the world was gone. He was in the abyss of sadness and it seemed hopeless._

Then, a ginger girl bopped out at him. _Her. _Rose, who first talked to him as he stepped back into the world. Rose, who helped him get over the terrible death that shook the school apart. Rose, who was the one person in the world Scorpius was absolutely sure he loved.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!" He gathered all his might and shouted at random. All the lights were out, except for a silver light emitted from his wand, he saw the cruel hood of the Dementors, and their black, rotting hands, less than life, reaching out to their hoods, "_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!" He thought hardest of his beautiful girlfriend and the full Patronus was conjured, and chased the Dementors off, for a little while.

"Lacey?" Scorpius had enough sense to remember their code name, "LENNY? HARRY? RON? ABERFORTH?"

His light flicked, as the thought of Rose disappeared from his mind, and in appeared his grandfather Lucius.

"_You filthy blood traitor," _he had shouted, _"A disgrace to the Malfoy name!" His father stood silently behind the formidable Death Eater, even Draco didn't dare speak out of turn. He wasn't one of them though, Draco, he was ever truly a Death Eater, but not truly a good guy either…_

Everything was dimming, and the next time Scorpius woke, he wasn't expecting at all where he'd be, with dozens of Death Eaters escorting him and the rest of the group, except strangely Aberforth. He couldn't remember how he got here, and to a small relief he was alive, until he saw where he was.

"Where are we?" He heard Harry said behind him, somewhere.

"Home." Scorpius breathed, "Welcome to Malfoy Manor."

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

Rose thought she had the stupidest brother in the entire world, but that was before he let their entire mission go to hell, at the hands of _Aunt Ginny _no less. Although there was one thing that he did right, at least their true identity wasn't revealed. As far as Ginny, Luna and Neville knew, they were just Time Travelers sent from a near future to protect them, no relation what so ever. At this time Rose cursed Uncle Harry for sending them over. Why couldn't he have chosen someone more qualified? Why couldn't he have chosen someone at least NOT RELATED?

This wasn't the time for pointless bantering with oneself, however, because for the first time since Rose arrived in the past, she actually has a purpose, something to do other than sitting around mindlessly in case Death Eaters burst through the Hogwart's front doors and attack. Lily needs her help (and Scorpius and Lysander, but she still refused to acknowledge them), and they've agreed the set time and place and message before. She prayed desperately that they were at least safe.

"Shhhh." Ginny whispered, even though no one made a word. The six Hogwartians stood in front of a seemingly entire wall on the seventh floor, but Rose knew it was so much more. She basically spent a whole month in the Room of Requirement (Still…nothing), and back in 5th year, so did Neville, Ginny, and Luna. She watched as the self-appointed ginger leader paced around the hallway with a concentrated expression, her features scrunched up as if solving a complex math problem. After the third time pacing, a pair of grand door began appearing out of nowhere, growing until it took up the entire wall.

"After you." Ginny said warningly. Rose was sure that Ginny still had doubt over their objectives, even after they had recited all the things they know about the past, even Hugo, whom as Rose said before was just _stupid. _Rose stepped in carefully, making no sound, as if her aunt's cold glare didn't hurt her at all.

"We'll have to go to the end of the room." Rose said, "There's should be an empty portrait, and we'll wait for Ariana's arrival there." She pointed at the painting of an empty garden up ahead. The six were entranced by the mystical powers of the room, and stepped forward in unison.

"Ariana is…" Neville thought, "Dumbledore's sister?"

"Ya." Rose confirmed, "And the passage leads to Hog's Head, owned by Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth."

No one objected to her knowledge of the Dumbledore family, at least she was free to speak out the extensive knowledge Rose knew of the past, unlike before where she treaded carefully whenever the conversation arrived at those points.

The six Gryffindors sat about the room, with chairs appearing at random whenever one of them decided to sit down. Rose held the messaging Galleon inside of her palm, rubbing it out of fear. It was near midnight and Rose was growing anxious, when was Ariana coming? If they hadn't made it to Hog's Head in time, maybe Lily and the others were in trouble? She couldn't possibly think of what might happen if they got captured by the cult, especially because they're with Harry…

"I hear something!" Luna said perkily, as a quiet footstep approached the room. Rose squinted into the painting, but the familiar face of the pretty young Dumbledore wasn't appearing. She whipped her head around at the door, "Uhh…did no one remember to close the door?"

A swooping black cape appeared in view, there was no time to try and conjure some sort of a covering before the formidable and scary Headmaster swooped into the room. Severus Snape doesn't look a day over 40 (because he wasn't, Rose reminded herself), but his death glare was well mastered and sent Aly into a whimpering fit. Rose forced herself to stare at the beady and cold black eyes of the Half-Blood Prince. She knew he wouldn't hurt them too much, he was a good guy, or at least, wasn't a true Death Eater.

"6 Gryffindors out of bed." Snape's lips curled into a nasty smile, "What a disappointment." It doesn't sound like much of a disappointment at all, in fact, despite his love for a certain Muggle-born Gryffindor, he hated the house whole-heartedly. The hourglass containing the Gryffindor's points had been empty since the first week of term, with the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw barely a couple, and the Slytherin gleaming with mocking pride, "50 points, each." He said simply, "Oh, but there aren't even any points to take away from." He shrugged, "Maybe detention would be sufficient."

A sudden swooshes of Snape's wand made Rose jump in fear and dropped the Galleon, but she was in too much of a panic mode to pick it up. It turns out it wasn't his wand at all, but a flourishing, yet cruel looking quill, which wrote on a piece of parchment by itself, "With the Carrows, you'll be doing detention until the winter break."

He then turned swiftly past the door superiorly, as the six Gryffindors followed in defeat.

* * *

**WOOOOOO!**

**8 CHAPTERS!**

**I don't know about you guys but I felt productive over the Easter Holidays. GOOD JOB TEAM!**

**Now, as Lily, Harry, Ron, Scorpius and Lysander headed towards the Malfoy Manor, not 1 but TWO familiar face will show up, although you won't actually see one of them until it was revealled until later. GOOD LUCK ESCAPE THE CELLAR BUDDIES!**

**EXCITED? I THINK SO!**

**~Lilies**


	10. IX: Desperate Times

**WARNING! A HIGHLY FILLER CHAPTER (don't we hate those?) BUT STILL VERY NECESSARY! SORRY THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN GIVING OUT VERY GOD QUALITY CHAPTERS, BUT I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE THE NEXT ONE WILL BE AWESOME! If you allow me a little more time on it**

***dodges giant flaming fire ball from the readings***

**Forgot the disclaimer, sorry. Everything belongs to the Queen and I suck**

**~Lilies**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Desperate Time**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Malfoy Manor

**L. Potter** – Malfoy Manor

**J. Potter** – MIA

**L. Scamander **– Malfoy Manor

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

Rose's lungs were on fire, as the pain of the _crucio _curse hit her where it was the hardest. Her muscles were twitching and bending at such an unnatural angle that she hoped it will break. She had never felt anything so painful in her life. It was as if her opponent was ripping her to shreds limb by limb, slowly and painfully. She almost begged for relief, but her stubbornness against them made her mouth shut in pain and pride.

A brief moment of rest came upon her, as Rose collapsed to the floor with a loud _thump._ She watched the greedy little Slytherin third years asking Professor Carrow if they had done the curse right.

"Very good." Amycus Carrow sneered, "A couple more time will make sure this deflect learns her lesson."

_I'm not a deflect, _Rose thought angrily. Before she could retort, and she had a good insult after their pet owls, the pain started up again. Her fingers scrapped the floor, as she struggled hardest not to scream, not to let them know that they've hit her, and hard, but the pain was soon too much and she let out a terrifying wail that she was sure can be heard by Snape, and holed up in his nest. Rose thought he was a good guy, at least not one of the pure-blooded fools, but he had sent them to 'help' the younger students with their homework, mainly in the Dark Arts. Rose had to be at one of the larger dungeons every other day after dinner, for her body to set aflame for an hour, before she was finally, blissfully, able to leave.

"Headmaster." One of the stupid young Slytherins yelped. Rose recovered to see the emotionless face of Severus Snape, and though his black eyes were on her, judging and mocking, he spoke to the Carrow brother.

"I need to talk to the girl."

"What for?" Amycus' greedy eyes sparkled; apparently he took a great interest in seeing what Snape was thinking of. Well, if Rose, the daughter of Hermione Granger, couldn't figure it out, that stupid blunder wasn't about to either.

"I've got to ask her to do something for me." Snape said simply, "She'll finish her detention with me."

_Joy._

* * *

Ginny has three scratches healing from her cheek, and two longer ones that were turning into scars on her forearm, but she was grinning as she entered the Library, which she was pleased to see Luna, Hugo and Aly be quite frightened about.

"Umm…Ginny?" Aly said uncertainly. She reminded her of Neville a little, maybe it's the mannerism, anyways, "You've got that scary look on your face."

"That's her idea face." Hugo said boringly, "And yes, you should be afraid." He confirmed Aly's worst nightmare as the brunette girl ran for cover, before Ginny dragged the back of her blouse and pulled her down to the couch.

Dismissing the fact that Hugo knew such a personal thing about her, Ginny launched into her lecture immediately, "We've got to fight back." She declared, "If I see Snape's stupid gloating face one more time, I'm going to puke."

"Ummm…how exactly are we going to do that?" Aly questioned, "

Ginny grinned even brighter; this was going to get good. She had the perfect idea that not even the most stupid of wizards could refuse, "Two words." She paused for dramatic effect as she saw Aly and Hugo exchange nervous glances, and then Luna, who was probably drifted off to her own world. Nevermind that, Ginny will bring her back done soon enough.

"Dumbledore's Army."

The effect was immediately and awesome, as the wide-eyed Aly gasped and hid behind her book, Hugo just stared, wonderstruck, at the ginger girl, and only Luna was still mild, but she did have a look of interest upon her, which Ginny took as a good sign.

"But they already know about the DA." Aly whispered, "Wouldn't they expect this kind of thing?"

"So what?" Ginny dismissed, "I'll be happy to do _anything _to rebel against _Snape _and his sidekicks. It's time we took a stance against these Death Eaters, and do whatever we can to help end the war." She paused, this was the part that will probably be most persuasive, but she can scarcely say it herself without half-bursting into tears, "What would Harry do?"

Apparently Ginny whispering the name of their friend is enough to silence their protests. Luna nodded in agreement, and smiled kindly at her best friend. Aly and Hugo still looked skeptical though, but they sighed and nodded as well. Either it was the power of that little word, or maybe they finally knew that they couldn't win an agreement with Ginny Weasley.

Just then, Rose burst in through the door, looking more tired than all of them. Ginny always thought that Rose was pretty delicate (like a flower, puns intended), but at the sight of her covered with bruises and burns (crucio curse?), Ginny felt, not suspicion like usual, but respect for the older girl. She had gone a long way to gain Ginny's trust.

Let's hope she doesn't blow it.

"What did I miss?" Rose smiled weakly, trying to appear nonchalant in front of her brother and friends, as if she just hasn't been tortured into oblivion a few moments earlier.

"Ginny came up with this great plan." Luna said without missing a beat, apparently the only one unfazed about Rose's ripped up robes, "We'll tell you everything."

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Malfoy Manor

* * *

"Can you be sure?"

"I think so, but he looks a bit different."

"Come on Draco, we _have _to be sure, or else imagine what would the Dark Lord do if it wasn't him?"

"It _sort of _looks like him."

"ARE YOU WASTING MY TIME BOY?"

"BELLA! Do not scream at my son that way!"

"Cissy, I don't think you understand how important this is."

"I think I surely do."

Harry opened his eyes slowly. Maybe is he didn't see the three Death Eaters in front of him, they wouldn't see him as well. He surely heard Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, but he wasn't about to let them know that.

Lacey had been incredibly smart, Harry wasn't sure, but he thinks she could've been related to Hermione with that sort of brain. She was able to think quick and told Harry to disguise himself, but if he had been quicker, perhaps the Dementors wouldn't have caught him mid-spell. Now he looked like a cross between himself and a squash, with a weirdly demented head and swollen lips. He wasn't as good as these spells as Hermione.

_Hermione._

Was she here? Can they manage to save her in time? Can they manage to save themselves? Harry didn't think anything would be possible with the three, one raven-haired, and two blonde, Death Eaters staring him right in the face.

_At least I know who they are, _and knowing is important. Harry knew how Bellatrix got wind up when he told her that Voldemort was a half-blood, like the rage she felt could never be extinguished, maybe Narcissa and Draco will do the same as well, then, when they are not as focused, they could…

What could they do? Harry thought miserably. Ron will be stubborn enough to look for Hermione, even risking their own lives for it. Harry did care terribly about their friend, but he also knew that Hermione was smart enough, smarter than all of them combined, really, and could've probably gotten out of whatever trouble she was in.

_But what if they took her wand? _Harry thought, panicking. A wizard was _nothing _without their wand, and as intelligent as Hermione may be, is she really strong enough to escape a group of Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange, wandless and helpless?

Harry sighed; this was growing more complicated by the minute.

"Send them into the dungeon." Bellatrix's voice sounded disgusted, probably angry at Draco for not being able to identify Harry, "Get them out of my face."

Another Death Eater, which Harry didn't recognize, pulled the five of them down to the cellar, and was thrown roughly around the room. He didn't think it was possible, but this day just got worse.

"Harry!"

He recognized that voice, but not immediately, as if he knew her, but not personally.

"Hannah?"

Hannah Abbott was in his year, and pretty in just the right light, but the Malfoy's cellar was _definitely _not the right light. Hannah had a scar just above her lips and cuts all over her face, but she was still smiling unwaveringly. Must be the Hufflepuff optimism.

"What are you doing here?" As far as Harry remembered, Hannah was a half-blood, or maybe a pure-blood even, with at least one magical parent. Even by some chance he was wrong, the Malfoy's wouldn't be _that _accommodating as to allow the Muggle-Borns to be prisoned in their cellar.

"I don't know." Hannah sighed, "One minute I was talking to Neville about Herbology, and the next thing I know, some random Dementors showed up and I was here." She gestured towards the stingy room, "Ron!" She hugged the ginger Weasley, who looked very uncomfortable and surely was not used to the friendly Hannah.

"Hullo." He mumbled, "Good to see you Hannah."

The blonde girl's laugh was twinkling, "It's good to see anyone." At last she turned towards the three newbies to Harry's group, but recognition did not register upon her face, "Hi." She said a bit more reserved, perhaps a little shy in front of strangers, "I'm Hannah."

"Lacey." The ginger girl was the first to speak. Lacey had always looked sort of familiar to Harry, but he couldn't quite pin-point what, "Lacey Peterson. Those are my friends, Lenny Smith and Samuel Malone." She pointed at the two blonde boys standing awkwardly behind her. It was sort of weird, being down here with three random time travelers she had just met, and Hannah Abbot, someone he can't say he even had a real conversation with, but at least it was better company than the Malfoys.

"Nice to meet you." She smiled genuinely.

"Are you the only one in here?" Ron interrogated. Harry knew his best mate enough to know what he's thinking of. _Hermione. _Where was she? They had thought of sure she'll be at Malfoy Manor, perhaps the most dangerous place in the world right now, because it's Voldemort's headquarter, but here they are in the prison cell, and…nothing.

"Yep." Hannah sighed, "They'll take me upstairs to torture for an hour a day, then bring me back down here with minimal food and I try to sleep." She lost the twinkle in her eyes as she spoke of her imprisonment. Harry could see that she tried so hard to be more positive about the whole thing, but clearly, there wasn't anything to be positive about. "I don't know why exactly, but I don't think they're torturing me just because I'm me."

Ron blinked, "Not following mate."

Hannah blushed, which was hard to see under the dim lights and over the sound of dripping water, but she blushed never the less, "Ehh…Neville and I sort of had a thing."

Which came to a surprise for Harry, as he _never _heard him saying anything about Hannah. Luna? Sure, but Hannah? Never the less he patient let Hannah explain her tale, because he was curious as to why she was stuck down here.

Hannah was abducted just a few days ago by a group of Death Eaters at night. She was on her way to the bathroom when she was ambushed. It was all very hushed up by the Carrows (Harry spat at their names) and Snape (even worse), and they explain that Hannah was going home early for the holidays.

_Well they forgot to add in the part where she might never return. _Harry thought bitterly. If they bust Hannah out of there, where can she go? Hogwarts was no longer an option (it had been for the past six years of Harry's life, his home, but now what is it? A torture chamber for the Death Eaters and a way to destroy the younger generation of wizards, he imagine the poor first and second years…), and home? They'll find her and perhaps torture out that it was _Harry Potter _who had rescued her, and then…Harry didn't want to think about it. Even if he wasn't particularly close with Hannah, he still had to save her life. She couldn't be on the run with them, but perhaps Ron's family could take her in…

Speaking of Ron, he was slouching very grumpily in the corner, playing with the Deluminator that Dumbledore had left him. _At least it did something, _Harry sighed, he still hasn't figured out what _I open at the close _means. His thoughts were flying all over the place now, settling occasionally on Hermione or Ginny, and sometimes on Hogwarts. The silence of the prison was getting to all of them, there wasn't much that could be said with Hannah in front of them, they just have to wait until someone, somehow, manage to come up with a plan to escape, but Harry consider that nearly impossible without Hermione.

"We can't just sit here!" Lacey protested, "We've got to do _something!_"

"Go on then!" Ron sneered from the darkness, "Come up with a clever plan to get us out of this hell of a mess."

Harry knew he was only being mean because they didn't find Hermione, but still…Lacey had been just trying to help. He admired her spirit, kind of reminds him of Ginny…no, he will not think about Ginny, it was too painful right now. He wondered if he'll ever see her again, the last time they truly spoke was in her bedroom…

He sighed and leaned against the wall, there was too much to think about, too much wrong with the world, that he couldn't even keep count.

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"Tell us everything."

Hugo shrugged, "Not much to tell really."

Ginny gave him a trying look, the whole 'you're-being-cute-but-cut-to-the-chase' sort of thing that only an aunt can perfect, but the war had made them all so mature (and impatient), that Hugo wasn't entirely surprised about it.

"What went on in the future?" Ginny yelled. They were sitting in the Room of Requirement after dinner, which everyone would either be at the library studying or at the Common Room. Ginny, Rose, Hugo, Aly, Neville and Luna hoped to count on their discreetness to make sure that no one went looking for them, because if they did, it'll be kind of obvious, though Neville did came up with a genius idea of _asking _the room to not allow anyone in, nor revel who was inside. Hugo was surprised no one thought of that before, it was quite simple really.

"You won the war, marry unc-Harry, and have three happy and fat kids." He said unblushingly, enjoying Ginny's reaction. It was a mixture of surprise, happiness, and anger, all mixed up and not sure which one is more prominent.

"I think she means _how?_" Luna said from beside Neville, "_How _do we win the war?"

Hugo strained his brain, even when the biggest battle of the entire Wizarding history (arguable) was participated by his own relatives; he still had trouble remembering the details. He wished that he had his mother's brains, but that went to Rose, whom Hugo looked expectantly at.

"First things first." Rose said sharply. Hugo's sister was always more prepared for an explanation than he was, "Luna." She turned towards the blonde girl, "Tell your father to stop writing articles promoting Harry in the _Quibbler._"

Luna blinked, "Okay."

"Why?" And it goes without question that Ginny had to know the answer to everything.

"They'll abduct Luna on the train ride home, because of all the stuff he's writing." Rose explained, "So it'll probably be safer for all of us at Hogwarts." Hugo knew that under normal circumstances, it might've been better that they all went home as fast as possible, but they knew that Snape was a good guy, no matter how twisted a good guy he might be, and wouldn't kill them. They'll need to stick together anyways.

"Alright." Ginny said impatiently, "What about Harry?" She had no more trouble saying _his _name, Hugo's aunt was very brave.

"Harry went into hiding…" Rose started, "…to find something."

"What?" Luna quipped up, her Ravenclaw curiosity shining through.

"Something that will help him defeat You-Know-Who." Rose said vaguely, "It's like his weakness, objects which part of his souls is attached to. A Horcrux." She finished. Hugo knew that his sister wasn't sure if she should've told them that. Harry's big mistake for many years was that he never confined with anyone (except Ron and Hermione, occasionally) about his ideas and plans, which would've helped him a lot in the long run, but clearly Rose doesn't have that issue.

"If they find those pieces of his soul…" Ginny said slowly, "And destroy it."

Rose nodded, glad that they were catching on quickly, "He can be killed."

"And they'll be finish that when?" Neville asked. Eager to get on with the story.

"In a year." Rose answered, "By May, I think, but since our friends have dropped in on them, I'm not sure if it'll take longer or shorter." Rose sighed, "I really wished we could've met them, it'll be so much easier to exchange notes."

"Can't you send them messages by your messaging Galleon?" Ginny said impatiently. Hugo didn't think they actually mention the messaging Galleon to them, but he figured that Aunt Ginny of all people would've done a bit of snooping around.

"I lost it." Rose said guiltily, which surprised the entire group. Rose was the most rational and focused of the group, and she lost a _bloody galleon? _"When Snape caught us…well…here, I got surprised and dropped the coin." She looked around, "I don't think it'll be here anymore, maybe Snape took it after we left or something." She looked down in guilt. Hugo knew that she didn't like to admit she had done anything wrong, it's the deadly pride that was running through both her and their mother's veins, "Our friends should know something's up anyways, and probably won't send any more messages, so that's fine."

"So what now?" Luna spoke dreamily, clearly the conversation was getting too boring for her case, "We rally up a group of old DA members and…" Looking over at Ginny, the unofficial leader, despite Neville being the oldest, Ginny had the fire that was needed to lead the group, whereas Rose would be the brain, Luna would be the positive person, and Hugo and Aly would just kind of…make sure everything's okay he guessed, Hugo didn't really have a special talent compared to his sister.

"That's the plan." Ginny sighed, "Only the most trustworthy ones though. Seamus, Lavender, Pavarti, Ernie, Michael, Hannah…"

"Not Hannah." Neville quipped up, Luna looked over at him in surprise, which was the first time Hugo actually saw that emotion on the blonde girl, "She's home early for the holidays."

Ginny nodded, "We'll make a list, and any new members must be vouched by at least three old members, just so we can trust them."

The looked between themselves, all understanding the big risk it was. They were going to rebel against the highest authority, and it wasn't respect to the law that made them hesitant, but the fear, but they won't kill them, will they? Hugo didn't think they would want to spill any wizard blood, what with all the Muggles they're killing (he thought angrily).

"That's the plan then." Rose sighed, "I guess that's all for now."

"Wait." Luna said suddenly, which is a surprise to all of them because they weren't sure if she was actually in the conversation half of the time, "What are these Horcruxes?"

Rose hesitated, but only slightly that Hugo can detect, "The Gaunt Ring, already destroyed by Dumbledore, Tom Riddle's Diary, we all knew what happened there." Ginny flinched slightly, "The Slytherin Locket, which I imagine they would already acquire it, Hufflepuff's Cup, in Bellatrix Lestrange's Vault, that's a difficult one, but as long as they've got Hermione they'll be fine, Nagini the Snake…" She looked over at Neville slightly, but did not reveal that it was he who slayed it, a bit of a heavy spoiler alert (not that they avoided them so much), "and the Diadem of Ravenclaw." She looked over at Luna, who nodded in understanding. Hugo wondered what that's all about.

"Wow." Ginny sighed, "That's a lot of pieces of souls."

_Not to mention Harry himself, _Hugo thought privately, that part was well known by the three of them only, but he really shouldn't worry them all by stating so.

"Sure is." Rose sighed, "The Diadem of Ravenclaw should be in the Room of Requirement, in the Room of Hidden Things, I've been trying to find it, but…"

"No luck." Luna nodded, "I know…" she explained to the rest of the lot, "I've been with her several times, but she won't tell me why she's looking for it...until now."

"So that's one of the priorities." Ginny stated, probably making a mental check-list, "Trying to figure out how to make the message Galleons, can you get on that Rose? I forgot the spell Hermione used." Rose nodded, "And I guess Aly, Hugo and Luna can pan out and try to find the diadem." She thought, "That leaves you and I to recruit more members, you okay with it Neville?"

"Sure." He said, looking over at Luna slightly, "Okay."

"That's all for now then." Ginny sighed. The haunting silence again fell over the six students. It was a lot to do, for the six of them, and for the 3 time travelers especially. Now they have two missions, and it was hard for Hugo to say which was easier.

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Malfoy Manor

* * *

"I've got it!"

Scorpius looked over at the ginger, Ron, not Lily, "It better be an escape plan."

"No, I was wondering where Hermione could possibly be." Ron said dismissively, as if that was more important than getting them out of there. Sure Scorpius was all for fighting for love, but they can't exactly do that until they could get the hell out of the manor. To think, he grew up here, before he was practically disowned by his grandfather for dating Rose. _Rose, _whom he haven't seen in over four month.

_What happened to her? _Scorpius thought. That haunted him more than anything. Sure it was good that she didn't show up, but if she did, then he could've at least have been with her right now, except with a stranger Hufflepuff, Harry and Ron, the whiny ginger girl, and Lysander, whom Scorpius had come up with a nickname too horrible to repeat. He was glad that his grandfather (the future-present one) wasn't here yet, because imagining the trouble he'll be in was almost laughable. No, it was just his younger grandmother, father, and the _lovely _Auntie Bella he hadn't had the chance to meet yet. She was just as _great _as his family always described her. Beautiful, striking, and psychopathic.

"Where is Hermione Ron?" Harry said, bored. If he wasn't Ron's best mate, Scorpius was sure he would've blown up by now. Ron's obsession with Hermione's whereabouts was starting to wear on all of them. Sure she _had _to be found and was very important, but Scorpius saw more priority in getting them _out _of this prison cell. How fitting on him to be trapped in the very home he hated growing up in?

"I bet she escaped and went hiding with my family!" Ron exclaimed. Harry looked like he could've killed someone.

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!" Harry exploded, "HERMIONE IS SMART! RON! S-M-A-R-T! SHE COULD'VE GOT HERSELF OUT OF ANYTHING, EVEN THHE POSITION WE'RE IN NOW! CAN YOU THINK OF SOMETHING THAT CAN GET US OUT OF HERE SO YOU CAN GO MEET UP WITH THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE? THAT'LL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!"

_Aye, _Scorpius thought meekly. He vaguely remembered them being trapped in the Malfoy Manor in the first universe, but he couldn't remember the detail of how they got out…

"Okay, sheesh." Ron said, slowly backing away, "I'm just a little worried about our _best friend, _that's all. Especially given her blood-status."

Maybe they should spend a little more time looking for Hermione, Scorpius thought all of the sudden, if they kill her, Rose wouldn't exist, and if Rose didn't exist…there's a very good chance he would've been on the other side of that cellar, planning the prisoner's demise right now. She kept him good.

"Are you guys finished fighting yet?" Lily asked. Scorpius was surprised that she almost sounded bored, which is a good thing, despite what it sounded like. Lily's got a plan.

"What?" Hannah stood straight up; apparently she was getting the same sort of vibe.

"We've got to get out of the cellar, and then I can call about a friend of ours." Lily grinned.

"If it's that Rose we kept hearing about, it's not happening, she bailed out on us last time." Ron said impatiently. Scorpius drank in the irony of Ron being so distrusting of his own daughter. Those things happen when you've travel though time.

"No, you know him actually." Lily said.

"WHO?" Even Harry was getting tired of Lily's endless riddles, and to be honest, Scorpius thought they were kind of stupid as well. He had to get out of here, rescue Hermione so Rose can be born, then continue on the mission, and apologize to his girlfriend, if they were still dating. That much had never been very clear.

"Kreacher."

And this is why Lily's the daughter of the Boy-Who-Lived.

* * *

**KREACHER!**

**Boy I hope he doesn't die!**

**Probably not, but *shrug*.**

**Wow, I really have nothing to say, it's been a hell of a day, ugh, Mondays.**

**Anyways, I'M OUT! PEACE!**

**~Lilies**


	11. X: Running Out Of Time

**I'M BACK!**

**Sorry of being off-air, you know, heavy duty projects are starting up, and I probably won't be updating too much until maybe May. I've got other stories that you can check out, especially if you like Once Upon a Time (LACEY LACEY LACEY!). So...ya, hope you don't kill me!**

**This is sort of filler-y, heads up, but it does cover bunch of plot points. Snape cashes in the favor he asked of Rose, plus the Ravenclaw Diadem makes another return!**

**Exciting? I think so! None of the sections can be more than 1000 words though, but all together they make up 4000, which should be a good read for 10 to 15 minutes, maybe? Unless you read super fast or something. I never know how long to write the chapters, but I think 4000-5000ish is pretty good. Any ideas? Shorter, longer? Keeping in mind it takes me about 3 days (not continuously) to write like a chapter (I edit and stuff, ya, I'm slow-ish I guess), if I'm not overly busy. So...ya**

**~Lilies**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Running Out of Time**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Malfoy Manor

**L. Potter** – Malfoy Manor

**J. Potter** – MIA

**L. Scamander **– Malfoy Manor

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

November **Year 1997 **Malfoy Manor

* * *

"Kreacher? As in the house elf?"

It was no secret that Ron didn't particularly like Kreacher very much, besides calling Hermione repeatedly the _m _word, he also betrayed the Order (though unknowingly, but he was willing to look over that detail) to the Death Eaters, resulting in Sirius's…uh…death, and now this Lacey girl was suggesting they try to get out of the cellar just to meet him?

"Harry can summon him if we get out of the cellar, which is wizard-magic proof." Lacey explained impatiently, "Then Kreacher can apparate and get us all out of here."

"But I thought that you can't just apparate into someone's house randomly, isn't it a bit rude?" Hannah Abbott said hesitantly. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Are you seriously trying to defend the Malfoys after they _kidnapped _you?" Ron yelled. His patience was running thin. Hermione has been gone for over a few weeks now, and they had no lead on where to find her. He thought for sure she'll be at Malfoy Manor…

"Sorry." Hannah looked at the verge of tears, which softened Ron a bit, he was never really good with crying girls (Yule Ball, fourth year), and he didn't _really _mean to snap at her. It was just the anger of losing Hermione that's getting to her.

"House elves have their special magic that wizards don't understand, or frankly, underestimates." Lacey explained, reminding Ron painfully of Hermione's S.P.E.W, he swore that if he ever got to see her again, no, _when_ he got to see her again, he'll never make fun of _spew _again. "Harry should've no problem summoning Kreacher once we get out of here."

"Okay then…" Samuel, the blonde boy he found himself disliking quite a bit, said, "How do we get out of here?"

"I don't know." Lacey admitted. Her intelligence wasn't nearly as impressive as Hermione's. _She _would've known how to get out of here.

Stop it Ron, he forced himself, you can't just go around comparing everything to Hermione, it's even starting to annoy your inner self.

Sorry inner self.

Just then, the golden opportunity was handed to them on a golden platter. The cellar door swung open, and in came two hooded Death Eaters, one of which spoke in a raspy and old voice.

"Mistress Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Master Draco wishes to speak to you." He said formally, as if they were honored guests instead of prisoners, but sarcastically, _of course._

"Come on." The other voice was impatient, but younger, and started roughly shoving the nearest, Lenny, up the doorway. The other four reluctantly followed up the stair case.

_What's our next plan? _Ron thought furiously, Hermione would've known what to do, but she's not here right now, and by the panic on Lacey's face, she didn't think of anything either. If Harry was to summon Kreacher now, it wouldn't be much of any use, he could come and rescue them, but the grip the Death Eaters had on Harry and the others are too strong. Hannah whimpered behind Ron, who immediately felt sorry for the girl. She wasn't even here by choice, but because of a freaky romantic involvement with Neville of all people. She shouldn't be punished. No one should.

Ron was so absorbed in his thought that he hasn't noticed that the younger Death Eater drew out his wand, which looking back was pretty crappy of him (Ron). He should've been staring at them for a weakness like Harry and Lacey were, but luckily, and surprisingly, the wand wasn't used against the prisoners.

"What th-"The older Death Eater dropped dead on the ground (not _dead _dead, but unconscious, probably), while the younger one faces the five students.

"Run." He said simply, "RUN!" He looked over his shoulder; Bellatrix was advancing, with a wild face and a dagger pointing at the lot.

This wasn't the time to argue, "KREACHER!" Harry shouted, as the house elf appeared out of nowhere, and luckily, alone. Ron wasn't sure what happened after they've left Grimmauld Place, but Kreacher didn't look that good, with multiple scars and bruises, but there wasn't really time to argue.

"Where to master?" he said calmly, as if a group of Death Eaters weren't chasing him down.

"ANYWHERE!" All of the five shouted, as we each got a hold of Kreacher's bony arms, and flew into the dizziness.

By the time the group resurfaced, Ron found that Kreacher had apparently transported them to a lake, and mysteriously vanished. Maybe he was safer back wherever he came from, and maybe he wasn't so bad, you know, after he saved their lives and all.

"Where are we?" Harry coughed onto the snow. Oh, snow. December was coming soon, and Ron hasn't spent a Christmas without Hermione since…forever, really. They've always stayed at Hogwarts, or sometimes, go to the Burrow _together_.

_There's still time, _he thought to himself. They could very well find Hermione before Christmas.

"We got to go." He coughed as well; they weren't dressed for this harsh climate. Something told him that they were still in the Great Britain, but not anywhere that Ron can remember, "Hermione." He said, because that's what he was thinking of, and stood up to continue.

To Ron's surprise, none of the others agreed with him quite so fast and started walking with him, "What are we waiting for?" He shouted, "Bellatrix Lestrange to torture the information out of Kreacher and hunt us down?!"

Harry was the first to speak up, probably because he knew Ron the longest, "Mate, I thought we agreed that Hermione was safe with your parents."

"We won't know until we check!" Ron was surprised, how could Harry be so ignorant of the crucial fact. HERMIONE. WAS. MISSING. "Besides, who says that my parents are safe, they're being watched by the Ministry, aren't they?"

Still…nothing.

"Ron." Lacey said with her stupidly sweet voice, "Harry's right, we should focus on the Horcrux, Hermione is fine. She's resourceful."

_Okay, somebody pinches me, _thought Ron. Are they seriously suggesting that they leave Hermione alone in the wild to starve?

"We saw that she wasn't at Malfoy Manor, and she's too valuable a source of information to just be thrown in Azkaban." Lenny agreed with Lacey, "So she probably escaped and is trying to find us. She'll probably continue her way to find the Horcruxes, knowing we'll do the same, and BAM! We'll find her!"

"In case you haven't notice…." Ron's face was turning purple with rage now, "…WE. CAN'T. FIND. ANYTHING. WITHOUT. HER!"

"We got out of Malfoy Manor alright." Hannah squeaked, but shied behind Lenny when she saw that Ron had steam literally coming out his head.

"FINE! FINE!" He shouted, there wasn't a word in the entire world's supply of dictionaries that could describe his rage, "I'LL GO FIND HER MYSELF!"

"No." Samuel spoke for the first time since they've arrived at this crappy beach, "I'll go with you."

Ron hesitated. He couldn't just take a random person with him. The person he always wanted by his side was Harry, who was now shaking his head. How did everything just flip upside-down like _that? _Still, Samuel might prove useful just yet.

"Fine." He said softer, "We're leaving."

"You can't!" Lacey protested, but Ron realized that she was more looking at Samuel than Ron, "We, we have a job to do." She had real life tears in her eyes now. Crap, if Sam was anything like Ron, he'll break down soon enough.

"This is my job." He said plainly, and grabbed Ron's arm and disappeared. The last sound they heard as they vanished was Lacey breaking down.

* * *

December **Year 1997 **Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"I'm sorry about Hannah."

It was all over the headlines now. Three new comers that they did not recognize was travelling with Harry, as well as Ron, and somehow Hannah, who was definitely not leaving early to vacation in the Bahamas.

Neville just sat there, numb with the _Daily Prophet _in his hand, while Luna really didn't know what to do.

She'll admit it, she liked Neville more than a friend, which she suspected loads more people (cough Aly cough) knew, except for Neville, but she wasn't the kind of person to make the first move, or any move. Besides, he was with Hannah, who was perfectly nice (making it all worse), and she was currently missing, and Luna hated to be the home wrecker.

"I'm fine." He chocked. He did care a lot of his sort-of girlfriend, but Luna didn't want to see him this broken. She gently took the newspaper out of his hand and settled it down beside her.

"It'll be alright." She tried to sooth him, "Harry escaped and so did she; I bet she'll be okay."

* * *

Ginny wasn't the most soothing of all people. She wasn't particularly sensitive or comforting, her approach with handling people is usually brutal honesty, and for her, it usually worked. She made a name for herself as one of the most popular girls in school (up until this year, where popularity didn't really matter beyond the war).

So when she saw Luna with her 'thinking' face on sitting on a window seat next to the Charms classroom, she braced herself for the worst. Luna doesn't get teary, a quality they both share, but perhaps for different reasons. When Ginny is upset, she yells her head off about it, when Luna was; she was quiet and reserved, isolating herself from the world. As her best friend, it rested on Ginny's shoulder to return the blonde girl to it.

"Hey Luna." She said, good start, Ginny, good start.

The Ravenclaw's big grey eyes stared up at Ginny, translucent and glistening, "Hey Ginny." She said dreamily. One almost couldn't tell that there was anything wrong with the girl, but Ginny had known Luna for far too long.

"What's new with your life?" She tried not to force it out of her, an action she hasn't quite mastered.

"Neville's upset that Hannah's in the paper." Luna said, taking a folded piece of _The Daily Prophet, _from behind her. Luna was pretty honest too (they had a lot in common considering how different they first appear), "_He's _in the paper as well."

Ginny gulped. _Harry. _With his ever askew glasses rested on his face (though it looked strangely bulged out), and his messy black hair messier than she remembered, through his poor attempt at disguise, Ginny could still see the glittering green eyes, which popped despite the paper being printed in black and white. He had looked better, but to Ginny, he was still as handsome as ever.

"Oh." She said, keeping her voice leveled, because some nosy first years were close by, "It's _interesting._" To put it lightly. She was about to go on to her five minutes rant about how stupid Harry was to left them at Hogwarts for the year, but she realized why she was here in the first place. "So you're upset because Neville's upset about Hannah?"

Luna nodded slightly, "They seem to like each other a lot." Though Luna usually never showed much emotion, jealously was tinted in her otherwise floating voice. Ginny nodded in comprehension. So _this _is what this is all about.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Ginny said, "Everyone is worried about Harr-Hannah. Her only experience in defense is from the DA, so she doesn't have much cause to protect herself. Of course Neville should be worried, even _I'm _worried."

This seemed to make Luna feel a little better. Ginny wondered how the two can be so oblivious to their feelings for each other. When the ginger girl first started to like Harry, she had pretty much plastered his face over a whole wall of her bedroom (of course she's taken it down now). She guessed she was a bit more expressive when it comes to this stuff other than Luna and Neville, which is why they need a gentle push.

"I'll talk to Neville later." She promised aloud. Ginny wondered if she could do anything else, "Christmas is coming up, have you bought a present for him yet?"

That seemed to cheer Luna up furthermore, "For all of you really." She then turned a little shy, well, as far as Luna can be shy, "Painting, of each of you. I haven't got the coloring quite right for Neville's eyes or Harry's ears yet, but I'm working on it."

Ginny smiled. She wasn't particularly girly or anything, and rarely did she squeal or called anything 'cute'. But Neville and Luna _were _'cute', adorable even. The way Luna said his name was the same way Ginny said _his _name. She _had _to do something. Not only could to help her friend, but maybe a distraction be a good thing.

"Come on, let's go find Neville and try to cheer him up about Hanna-Harry's skirmish at Malfoy Manors." She smiled. And the two best friends skipped off into the corridor.

* * *

"I'm not feeling well."

Usually when someone would say that, Hugo would automatically point them in the direction of his mother, who was an accomplished healer on top of all her other titles (she had a _lot _of titles), but when Aly said it this lunch, he felt a lurch of nerve hitting him that told him it wasn't something _1001 Home Healing Help_ could fix.

"Are you okay?" He asked warily. Aly looked pale, not Malfoy or vampire pale, but pale as in almost…translucent.

"I'm fine." Her voice squeaked a little. Hug had a bad feeling about this whole thing.

"Hey guy-what happened to Aly?"

He trailed his eye to follow the voice, which he knew all too well within the last few months. Neville, with his scruffy brown hair, looking a lot better than he did in days, ever since the news of Hannah's escape from Malfoy Manor (especially since they didn't know she was there in the first place), Luna with her gleaming grey eyes, and Ginny, looking slightly awkward and stood a little further away. Immediately Hugo realized why Aly was feeling terrible.

She was…disappearing.

"I think I came down with the flu or something." Aly said pleasantly, though she looked like she was going to throw up or something.

"Okay then." Luna said, hyper, smiling as she pulled Neville out of the library, laughing her head off about some joke she said. Ginny stood for a second, before retreating awkwardly behind them (it's not every day Hugo saw Aunt Ginny being awkward, he would've wished for a camera if not for more pressing issues).

"Are you okay Aly?" he asked gently, putting a hand over her forehead in search of a fever.

"I'm fine." She snapped and pushed his hand away, but looking wistfully at Luna and Neville's retreating figures. Hugo could practically see the gears ticking inside her head. Hannah was missing, Luna and Neville…

"NO." He said firmly, "You're not giving up your lives for them!"

Aly looked more serious than Hugo had ever seen her, and a bit miserable too, as people do when they are vanishing into nothing, "What choice do I have Hugo?" she whispered, as if hanging onto her last breath, "He never looked happier."

* * *

_They'll find out._

_No they won't._

_Sure they will, I'm a big fat traitor that cares about nothing but me._

_Come on Rosie, Snape's a good guy, you can trust him._

Rose really wasn't sure she could. It's been a week since _Professor _Snape asked her of the favour, and though she was reluctant at first, she did know of Snape's final act of goodness and his stern look was persuasive. She had trusted him with the information at the end, but instantly regretted it.

_It's all for the best._

_Albus and Scorpius will never forgive you._

Now she's done it, suddenly Rose went from guilty to depress. Just thinking about them was hard enough, now realizing what she's done, and that she'll have to face him, and maybe _soon, _was even tougher.

"Stop being so jumpy!" Ginny said strictly. They were in the Room of Requirement again, as Neville pleasantly asked the door to close to everyone that wasn't invited. The members they've vouched and approved included Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, the Patil Twins, a couple of Ravenclaws, Zacharias Smith (how did _that _happen?), and Ernie MacMillan, plus several more that Rose did not know by name, but trusted never the less. They wouldn't trust her though, not after what she'd done.

"Sorry." She mumbled a quick apology to Ginny, their unofficial leader and all chaos causer, a title given to her after she graffiti a whole wall with '_Dumbledore Rules!' _last week, and didn't get caught for some reason. That was just the beginning of the DA again, and soon enough, the school will hear of their name.

_Except for what you did._

_Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up_

She's been having these inner debates twice an hour, every hour, for the last few days, and even more frequent in the last few hours, but she suppressed it as Ginny spoke.

"We need an idea." She said plainly, "A good idea that will shake the entire school and announce, _WE'RE BACK!_" She waved her arm widely. Ginny was a natural leader, just like Harry, and her mere presence was pretty inspirational.

"How about a how chain of graffiti like you did?" Lavender spoke. Since Ron wasn't here, it was less awkward, and Lavender managed to stay on good terms with the rest of them (Rose still felt awkward, thinking that her own dad snogged the girl, but of course, they didn't and couldn't know that).

"Luna!" Ginny snapped a figure, not meanly but slightly bossy, "Write it down!" The blonde girl did scribble a few notes, but Rose didn't think that it had anything to do with graffiti.

"Any more ideas?"

"Trash the Slytherin Common Room?"

"Trash the Headmaster's office."

"Explode fireworks at dinner."

"Wear Muggle clothing for a day."

It went on and on, even with Luna fiercely scribbling, Rose was sure that she didn't get everything down. She would've wondered why Ginny didn't choose her as the scribe, except she was too busy nervously tapping the floor with her fingernails and glancing over at the door. _Had she made the right choice?_

_Of course not you dummy!_

_SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!_

"I'm hearing some interesting ideas, but there is still one main focus." Ginny said with a commanding voice that asked, no, _demanded _attention.

"Then why bring it up half an hour into the meeting?" Smith said obnoxiously. Seriously, who vouched _him_?

"Sorry Smith, you're welcome to leave if you feel like this secret anti-Death Eater club supporting HARRY POTTER isn't up your speed." Ginny glared him down. She wasn't afraid to use the _Harry _card, which might come in handy.

Smith grumbled that Charms club was more focused, which earned him a whack in the head from Ernie. Thank you Ernie!

"The Horcrux." Ginny explained the whole thing behind the Horcrux. Harry's going to be surprised if he came back and found out the entire student body knowing what a Horcrux was, but it was crucial to find it, and fast, "Ravenclaw's Diadem."

"I found it!"

All twenty-ish heads turned towards the Ravenclaw as Luna held a small piece of jewelry in her palm. It looked exquisite and delicate, with small sapphires embedded into the diadem tiara.

"When did you find that?" Rose had been with her almost every time she's searched for the diadem, and she'd _never _brought up the fact that she found it."

"I found it a while ago…." Luna said guilty, an emotion Rose understood, "I was hoping to get-"

_THUMP!_

The sound was both of the door and Rose's heart, as her heartbeat went up rapidly and hanging by her throat. _It's happening._

_THUMP!_

_THUMP!_

_!_

"Detentions, all of you!"

Snape's ugly face stood against the white doors of the Room of Requirement, as all twenty members scattered across the room, except for Ginny, who was frozen in horror, Luna, who quickly hide the diadem, and Rose, who looked at Snape with such distaste, and feeling the same hate towards herself.

"Thank you." He directed a demeanor smirk at Rose, though with a whisper than only she could hear, "For inviting me to the party."

* * *

December **Year 1997 **Forest of Britain

* * *

"I'm missing something."

Lily Potter was pacing back and forth on their new camp site. It was somewhere she _knew _that the Golden Trio had never visited in the first timeline, so it should be safe. They weren't taking any risks though, as Lysander struggled to put up protection spells while Hannah and Harry set up the tent.

It's been a few days since Ron and Scorpius left, and although Lily understood the latter's reasoning, they had to keep Ron safe, she saw that the former was basing his actions solely on emotions. She was as terrified that Aunt Hermione was gone as anyone, but she also never doubted her resourcefulness and cleverness. Somehow, someway, Hermione would've gotten away.

It had been difficult to convince Ron of that though, for weeks now, and it took the trip to Malfoy Manor for his to finally snap. Lily wasn't too worried though, he had Scorpius, plus according to the timeline, he should take this 'spiritual journey'. Of course, Hermione had never been kidnapped, but she was willing to look over some stuff to ease her own mind.

Then, there were stuff she couldn't get out.

The mysterious Death Eater than helped them, what were his motives? Did he place a tracker of some sort on them so that he could follow them and get his own reward? How had he managed to stay out of trouble? Did Bellatrix Lestrange kill him yet? For some reason, maybe because Lily sort of owes him her life now, she didn't want him to die, at least…not painfully.

"Wanna help with the tent?" A voice made her jump. Lily didn't realize how far she had gone into 'thinking mode'. Lysander gestured towards the half-made tent that Hannah was struggling with, while Harry was-of course-brooding in the background.

"Ya." She said miserably. Maybe a fresh look on it will help.

"Don't worry Lils'." Lysander ruffled her ginger hair like James _used _to, which made Lily felt a little sick, as she haven't really properly mourned her brother. She strongly believed in denial, and whatever coping mechanism it helped for her to forget, forget, forget, "We'll find them."

_Or will someone else find them first? _She refused to think that way, no matter how crucial it is. She was pretty much the leader now, being comfortable under pressure (unlike Hannah), good with people (unlike Lysander), and not letting her emotion get in the way, so while Harry was off staring at his snitch (she wished she could tell him what it meant so badly), it was Lily, the girl who haven't even passed her OWLs for goodness sake, that was in charge.

"Okay." She sighed, looking over at the struggling Hannah, "You might want to drive the stake in the ground before you start on the other side"

Hannah blushed and did exactly so, and sat down in triumph as a lopsided tent was placed, until it crashed down because of a poorly driven stake.

"I'm not good at camping." Hannah sighed, "Maybe I should just go back to Hogwarts or something."

"No!" Lysander said before Lily could, "They'll question you, and torture you, even your home isn't safe; your best bet is with us."

Hannah sighed annoyingly, which irritated Lily. They _had _been trying to help her after all, giving her their little supplies and helping her escape the Death Eaters, and at least she could be a little grateful.

"I'm sorry." Hannah suddenly burst in tears, which Lily was not expecting, "I just miss everyone so much…Neville…Hogwarts…my family."

Ignoring the fact that Hannah was Lily's future sort-of aunt, she sat beside the blonde girl and awkwardly patted her shoulder. Lily wasn't particularly sensitive or comforting, her approach with handling people is usually brutal honesty, and for her, it usually worked. It didn't seem like it would be as helpful for Hannah though.

"There, there." She said, "It'll be fine soon, we've got a way to stop You-Know-Who, and you'll be back with Nev-your family in no time."

Ya…she wasn't going to say Neville, that'll be way too awkward.

Harry finally finished brooding though, and seemed like he got a good twenty minutes of hard-thought before joining the trio. He sat down opposite of the girls, next to Lysander, and sighed the good-old Harry way.

"What's the plan?" He said roughly. Clearly losing his two best friends and travelling with two time travelers and a random girl from Hufflepuff wasn't part of his plan at all.

"We find the next Horcrux and hope that Hermione does too." Lily explained, "Ron should be there as well, and voila, happy reunion."

"So where is the next Horcrux?" There was no point in trying to hide their plans from Hannah, who would be suspicious of all the whispering and hush talks.

Lily sighed; this was tough, "Bellatrix Lestrange's vault."

Silence fell as she swore she heard crickets in the background.

"We'll need to go to Diagon Alley in the morning then." Harry said without further discussion, "I'll find a better disguise charm from Hermione's old book, Hannah should too, and Lacey and Lenny, you two figure out a way to get into Gringotts."

_Great, leave the hard stuff to us, _thought Lily, but she understood that her dad was going through a really tough time, and besides, she _did _know how to get into Gringotts.

"All we need is a goblin." She sighed, and began devising a plan.

* * *

Hannah woke up with a start in the middle of the night. She did not know why she was awake, or why she was walking towards the beach they camped on, but she did. Maybe she was thirsty. Ya, that must be it, she was thirsty and somehow craved for dirty water.

When she reached the lake, and dipped her small hand into it, another hand clamped around her mouth and pulled her into a nearby bush. Hannah tried to scream, but half of her was still sleepy and not sure what the hell was going on, plus she should've seen this coming.

"Go back to Hogwarts." The voice that belonged to the person who hid her in the bush, "I've sort it all out, just go back."

She fell asleep listening to the voice, and woke up in the Hufflepuff Common Room, having no idea how she got there.

* * *

**HOW COULD YOU ROSE?**

**WHAT? HANNAH?**

**I'm evil aren't I?**

**Anyways, let's take some time to read some fanmails-I mean reviews.**

**A.L. Kingsley: sorry about dear, old Bella, but she's always been sort of a gaining for herself sort of person, and I needed Snape not to be like, dead, for obvious reasons, which might be the best excuse I have. As for updating? I'm very excited about the next two chapters so you'll get them very soon!**

**Soccerisawesome19: ya...Kreacher appeared for like 2 seconds, it's not the best response to a sort of cliffy...^_^**

**EmpressPyrus: MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH**

**Wordsmatter 7117: I have trouble with kind of planning stories out like a movie before writing them, I think that's the main reason why it feels spy-movie-ish, sorry about that. I'm working on it though!**

**Butterfly of the Night: shhhhhh...and oh, they will get back to the future, and not the only ones! (look out for chapter 21, I think)**

**Is that all? That's all I can see anyways, thanks for reviewing, and review more! **

**R&R, F&F**

**~Lilies**


	12. XI: Just a Matter of Time

**NEWSFLASH READ THIS READ THIS PLEASE READ THIS!**

**This chapter...welll...ends in a huge huge HUGE (at least I hope it's huge) cliffhanger. AHHHH I FEEL SO EVIL! Anyways, I'm already starting to work on the next chapter and I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE to get it up in a few days, so there won't be as much wait. Because I know I hate cliffhangers, you hate cliffhangers, Johnny Depp hates cliffhangers, so...ya!**

**Also, I'm on this huge reading rant, so if ya'll can recommand some GOOD fanfiction. Ummm...I'm pretty much opened with all canon ships, I guess, but I just really don't have the energy to go through like 6 hundred thousand HP fanfic (seriously, we write ****_a lot _****of fanfics). That will be appreicated! Thanks!**

**END READING UNLESS YOU FEEL LIKE READING ME RANT SOME MORE!**

**Al and James makes a comeback! Sort of. And a little part with Gin and Rose at the beginning. No one knows that Rose is the mole (heh YJ) except for herself, and of course, Snape. HOW COULD YOU ROSE! Any-who, that's all for now!**

**~ Especially Evil Lilies**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Just a Matter of Time**

* * *

**Team Status**

* * *

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Seaside Britain

**L. Potter** – Seaside Britain

**J. Potter** – MIA

**L. Scamander **– Seaside Britain

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

December **Year 1997 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

There's a mole.

Ginny's brain has been buzzing for the last few weeks. She pretty much hasn't remembered a single thing since Snape had barged in through the Room of Requirement door. She thought that he might've said something to Rose, but she wasn't entirely sure. The rest of the Army was like that as well. All twenty of them seemed to be moving like zombies throughout the day. Transfiguration, Charms, lunch, Double Potions, Herbology, dinner, detention, homework, sleep...sleep…sleep, and repeat.

It was tiring, but not in the way of sore muscles and headache, but the pain had come to a point of numbness. At this point, Ginny wasn't even sure if she was going to react if someone just jumped out of a closet and put a _crucio _curse on her. It felt as if she was broken, losing the Army was one thing, but now Snape seemed to target Ginny at her very core, she's lost her fire.

_Not good, _she thought, trying to keep her head up as she marched across the hall. She had to look like this wasn't affecting her, otherwise Snape would win. And she would _never _let him win.

"Hey Rose." She greeted the other ginger girl as they sat together by the Great Hall. Rose looked extremely nervous since the Snape incident at the Room of Requirement, probably scared that the guy will pop up randomly behind their pumpkin juice and hex the life out of her. Ya…Snape did give off a nasty aura, but Ginny assured her that it was nothing to be worried about.

"There's a mole." She said, but without the fire that she usually carried. Ginny winced a bit.

"What?" Rose touched her face quickly, searching for the imperfection.

"I mean the inside spy type." Ginny corrected herself.

"Right." Rose sighed, "That would make more sense."

Silence. It wasn't the type of reaction Ginny was looking for…

"It couldn't be Neville or Luna." Ginny ranted on and went through her mental list. She had done this about twenty times this morning, but maybe talking it over with someone helps. Rose was the obvious choice because of her smarts and logical-ness, but she was looking rather nervous at the moment. Ginny dismissed it though, as she was lost in her thoughts, "Nor any of the Gryffindors, or Hufflepuffs because they're annoying nice." Ginny mumbled, "That leaves the Ravenclaws, but what could they even gain from telling Snape this, they're as much against Slytherins as we are!" She said exasperatedly.

"You don't suspect me?" Rose asked. That was not the response Ginny thought, but it was a fair question.

"I trust you." Ginny said hazily, her mind was running but she was getting nowhere, "Then again, Michael and I had a bad history, so maybe it was old grudge, but he was good friends with Harry…"

"Maybe there isn't even a mole?" Rose said anxiously, "Maybe Snape just overheard someone talking or something."

Ginny haven't thought about that. It's highly stupid of them to talk about it randomly in the hall way. Maybe it was that Smith guy, he was stupid enough.

"You could be right." Ginny mumbled, "It just sucks that he caught us twice in a row." She felt incredibly stupid and weak at that point. She let _Snape _of all people, best her, not once, but _twice! _She had to do better than that! Briefly, Ginny wondered what Harry is doing right now, and how were Ron and Hermione. If Ginny couldn't even handle one nasty guy, how was he holding up being the most wanted man in all of Great Britain?

"If there is a mole though." Ginny said, her fire returning and Rose flinched, "I'm going to do whatever it takes to find him, and He. Will. Pay."

Double crossing Ginny Weasley was like playing with fire. Someone was about to get burned.

* * *

_December __**Year 2022 **__12 Grimmauld Place_

* * *

**_A/N FLASHBACK FLASHBACK FLASHBACK FLASHBACK FLASHBACK FLASHBACK!_**

* * *

_"I'M BORED!"_

_Lily Potter was a cheery little third year. She had the best-est brothers in the world and the best-est parents as well. Inside the walls of 12 Grimmauld Place, it seemed that nothing could come to harm the ginger girl and her two older (and annoying) brothers, and it was true. Harry Potter's house has more protection spells around it than the Ministry of Magic, courtesy of his various powerful friends, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hermione Granger, Aberforth Dumbledore to name a few. Since the latest mini-break outs from Azkaban, Lily's dad had been a little jumpy. The very first break-out was committed by Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, but he was a good man, and since then, the actual guilty criminals have been inspired and broke out as well. Small pockets of Death Eaters are escaping, and whispers on the street renewed again. The air was almost as tense as it was when Voldemort was in power._

_Not in Grimmauld Place though._

_"It's Christmas Lils'!" Albus Severus Potter, the second eldest of the Potter siblings, smiled down. Lily was close with both of her brothers, but in different ways. When she was looking for someone to hang out with, James was generally more fun, but Albus was always the one that she goes to look for help. Whether it'll be school work, relationship, or just someone to talk to, "You just can't be bored on Christmas."_

_"I've got an idea." James said mischievously. Lily and Albus exchanged nervous glances. Their parents, Harry and Ginny, were out at a meeting on Christmas, which totally sucked, but they'll be back by dinner time along with the rest of the group for the annual reunion. Albus had been left in charge (with plenty of argument from the already of age James), "How about some good old fashion truth or dare."_

_"Yawn!" Lily protested, "You suggest that every time we're left in the house alone!"_

_James pouted, even at age 19 he was super childish, "But we _never _play it!"_

_Albus rolled his eyes, "Just get it over with Lils', we'll play a twenty minute game."_

_Of course, it was Albus that always settled fights between them. Lily had marvelled at how he could've done it, it was very hard to calm James down, but Albus seemed to have a lot of tricks up his sleeves, having lived with him for all of his life._

_"YA!" James said, then smirked as he thought of his torture devices, "Lily, I dare you to go and put on mum's make-up."_

_Lily rolled her eyes. Obviously not a tough dare, but probably embarrassing. She wasn't very good with make-up, and with her luck, she'll end up looking like a clown. James probably had a camera ready that as soon as she stepped downstairs, and FLASH! Lily the ridiculous will forever hang on the fridge's door._

_"Fine." She grumbled, and headed upstairs. Ginny's make-up box wasn't as full as some of the other mothers, mainly because she wasn't very girly, popular, very much, but not girly. She had played for the Holyheaded Harpies in her younger days and now is a reporter for the Daily Prophet, Sport's section, which meant she had to move around a lot. Pounds of make-up weren't the most practical choice. Lily dabbed some lipstick and mascara and hoped it'll be enough to get James off her back._

_"I'm back!" She sang as she re-entered the kitchen, where Albus and James were furiously arguing._

_"It's not tough Al." James yelled._

_"We're supposed to stay inside under mum and dad comes back!" Albus retorted, "Unless you want some Death Eaters to pop up and Avada Kedavra us!"_

_"There's not Death Eaters out there." James said exasperatedly, "It's the middle of the day, and besides, Ms. Churchill's face would probably scare then all away."_

_"What's happening?" Lily asked, very much aware of the mascara dripping down her face, but James and Al were too caught up in their fight to notice her terrible face._

_"I'm just daring Al to ask for a cup of sugar from Ms. Churchill." James pouted. Ms. Churchill was their weird and scary next door neighbor who never ate anything sweet, and always yelling at the Potter siblings for being too chubby and not eating right. Lily would've felt offended, but Ms. Churchill called the British actress _Emma Watson _ugly once Lily had been over (worst day of her life) and they've watched _Perks of Being a Wallflower, _so her sense of beauty was probably messed up, along with her brain._

_"Do you want Al to die or something?" Lily smacked James on the arm. Along with being ugly and annoying, Ms. Churchill also had a fierce temper that is just wacked. They couldn't say hello without being threatened by a baseball bat. Plus all the Death Eaters that were running around, more than ever since Voldemort's defeat…_

_"No, just a cup of sugar." James said innocently._

_"I'm not going outside." Albus said firmly, "It's dangerous times and dad warned us to stay here. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to my room to finish my homework, while you two figure out how to entertain yourselves." Like without him, Lily and James couldn't function._

_"Fine!" James cried. Lily was hesitant to take sides, because an Albus-James fight could get pretty ugly. Al was good at calming other people, but not so much himself. They've both got that stubborn streak from mum; and the competitiveness as well, so neither would back down soon._

This is so stupid, _Lily thought. Boys._

_If she had known that this would be the last Christmas the three of them would spend together, maybe she would've put more thoughts into calming the boys._

* * *

_August __**Year 2023 **__12 Grimmauld Place_

* * *

_"I'M BORED, AGAIN!"_

_It was nearly the end of summer and Lily would be starting her 4__th__ year very soon. The Death Eater threats are more prominent now and a medium sized break-out happened mid-July, around Al's birthday. Some big hitters, such as Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, for one, who were vicious and cold-blooded. Lily would be safe as long as she was in the house, on a protection trail, or at Hogwarts, but she hated having all these people following her wherever she went. It was a miracle that the Potter siblings convinced their parents to go to the Auror's Gala in London, and leaving the three home without any supervision, although looking back, Lily thought it wasn't the best idea._

_"I know what to do!" James said. He was 20 and still hasn't moved out, but Lily liked having her older brother around, kept it fresh and exciting in the house when there was little to look forward to._

_"Truth or dare." Albus said, it was given that this was somehow James' favourite game, but he only dared people, never asked them anything. Perhaps an embarrassing secret is less exciting than a dangerous mission._

_"I dare you-Al." he clarified, "To go to Ms. Churchill's house and borrow a cup of sugar."_

_Lily groaned. It had been hanging over their head for the past half year. James had sent those letters every other week, telling Al that he hasn't completed the dare yet. Lily didn't know why he was so hung up on this, but James was stubborn as hell and really weird when it came to stuff like this._

_"This again?" Albus rolled his eyes, "It's more dangerous now than Christmas James, the Death Eaters are rising, and forming their own little cult and stuff! We can't leave the house without permission! I'm just of age as well!"_

_"Scaredy cat." James coughed, "You're just afraid of a few tiny winy Death Eaters."_

_Al looked incredulous, "Ya, I sort of am." Who wouldn't be?_

_James rolled his eyes, "It an easy task Al, I'm sure dad could do it in a blink of an eye."_

_Lily whistled. Now it's _on. _Albus spent his whole life idolizing his dad, maybe because they looked so much alike, or maybe because he's just really ambitious. Either way, now Albus _had _to complete the dare._

_"Hand me my jacket." He said dramatically, even though it was still summer. James and Albus slammed the door shut behind them, leaving Lily alone in the house. She wasn't scared, she'll be fine in here, but she looked out the window nervously at her brothers. Out of the corners of her eyes, she thought she saw some shadows lingering in the trees, but dismissed it._

_Her first mistake._

_The second one came when she took her eyes out of the window and onto her book, _Great Auror of the 21st Century, _with her father's name printed even on the cover. She had been engrossed in the Auror community and absolutely can't wait until she was old enough to join. Her greatest ambition, along with all the other Potter kids, was to be like her dad._

_She felt a little nervous for Al and James. Sure they couldn't be in too much trouble, it was only five minutes, and if Ms. Churchill pulled a fast one on them, they were both old enough to do magic and stuff. They'll be fine, she thought to herself, but she had a tingling feeling that told her otherwise. Ten minutes and they still weren't back, but they were out of her view to even see now._

_The door opened, and closed, James entered the room holding a cup of sugar._

_"That took more than five minutes." Lily joked, "Well I'm glad you didn't get killed or anything."_

_Her smile was whipped off her face when Albus didn't follow right after him, "James?" she said. Her voices haven't been this weak since she was five. She was suddenly aware of the scratches on James' arm, and the blood tricking down his chin. Her mind wandered to the worst possibilities, but that couldn't be true. Where was Al?_

_"James." She repeated, "Where is Al?"_

_Her older brother looked about two inches tall and…wait…was he crying? James _never _cried. Lily's stomach did a double flip. No. Albus._

_"WHERE. IS. AL?" She demanded again. If Lily could go back in time and make her own self never ask that question, she would. She hated the answer, "WHERE IS HE?" She asked hysterically, now she was full on panicking. Surely Albus was just by the front door, waiting for Lily to let her guard down and pop right out and scare her. Or maybe he took the back door or something. He just couldn't be…_

_"Dead." James whispered emotionlessly, but his eyes held so much pain it was hard to look at._

_The cup of sugar hit the floor, and it took two hours before someone bothered to clean it up._

* * *

_December __**Year 2023**__ The Burrow_

* * *

_It was a whole two months before Lily even bothered to smile again._

_It was hard, but when she saw Rose and Scorpius, hand in hand and has that stupid lovesick expression upon their face, it was hard not to smile. At least something good came out of…this, even though it shouldn't. The world should be gray and dark and angry, not rainbow and light and happy. Nothing but sorrow should've filled Lily's days, and most of the times, nothing else did._

_It was Christmas, the first Christmas without Al. The last time James had dared him to break the rules, and six months later, Al relented. Lily wanted to scream at her older brothers, both of them, for their stupidity, but she couldn't find the voice to do so._

_December 25__th__ was hard, as the Potter-Weasley family gathered around Grandma Molly's dining table at the Burrow. The house still gave off its warm and happy glow, but the atmosphere of the guests was something different._

_Uncle Ron cleared his throat, "Let's dig in." he said meekly. Lily didn't want to dig in, or eat, or even breathe. She just wanted Al._

_Clearly everyone else did too, because no one picked up their forks. James was looking especially down, and eventually, the silence was too much for him._

_"Excuse me." James said, getting up from the table. Lily could never be angry at him, the week after Al's death James wouldn't leave his bed, let alone his room. They had piled up dishes and dishes of ice-cream, and sometimes Lily would be there and they would watch old rom-coms or something. Out of all the people, James probably took it the hardest._

_"You're not excused." Harry said, "We're dining like a family, it's Christmas." Not much of family they were right now though. No one was speaking except for Harry and James._

_"It's not Christmas without Al." James retorted, daring to say his name and making everyone at the table flinch, Aunt Fleur sobbed a little and mum closed her eyes painfully, "I think we all knew that."_

_He left, and that was enough for Lily, she collapsed on the dining table and cried, and cried, and cried. _

* * *

December **Year 1997 **Seaside Britain

* * *

It's Christmas again.

Lily kicked around some peddles at the beach they've camped on. In the old version, Harry and Hermione would've been at Gordric's Hallow, looking at James and Lily's grave, and meeting Bathilda Bagshot, who really wasn't Bathilda Bagshot. Now, Hermione was missing, as was Ron and Scorpius, Hannah had left a note and went back to her family, which was understandable, and now it was only Harry, Lysander, and herself.

James was missing too.

She had lost a brother just a year and a half ago, and now she had lost two. Lily allowed the first time in months to really let herself go. She hasn't cried since she was 14, and everyone knew what happened that time. They both _abandoned _her to be here alone, on Christmas of all days. She couldn't handle not listening to Al's boring facts about nothing, or James not cracking jokes about gnomes and house elves.

"I just miss them so much." She whispered to no one in particular. Albus. James. And all the other people as good as dead in her life. Why? She had gone into this mission with a happy note and able to prove herself to be worthy in the ranks of the Aurors, but it turns to be a huge nonsense. They had been on the run from Death Eaters, Hermione got kidnapped, they've got trapped in Malfoy Manor, and lost at least four people somewhere along the way. The party of 7 because the party of 3, and now it's Christmas.

"Merry Christmas to me."

She hated that blasted holiday.

A snap of a twig came from out of nowhere, Lily perked up. It was the most cliché thing to do when a twig snaps, but Lily knew what it meant. She had watched enough muggle action movies to know that someone was coming. Quickly she made her way back to camp along the beach, but a hand grabbed her and stuffed her into the forest.

She screamed, and kicked, and punched, but she seemed to be hitting nothing but air. The hand had clamped around her mouth, suffocating her a little and making her chock. _This is it, _Lily thought, _I'm dead. _Might as well, she'll be with Al and James.

What was she thinking? A daughter of _the _Harry Potter would never back down. No matter what happened to her brothers, she had to keep on fighting. Lily mustered enough energy and bit the hand.

"OW!" Her attacker yelped, which sounded familiar, but Lily didn't bother to try and remember it because it pulled her in again and dragged her into the bushes.

"LET ME GO YOU STUPID OAF!" She yelled as the hand finally released her, as she dropped to the ground. _Finally. _She brushed off some dirt while getting out her wand. Lily looked up at the kidnapper and gasped. No.

No.

What?

"Nice to see you too sis."

* * *

**Now, Lily only has two brothers, one of which is MIA, the other one is dead, so I wonder who this could be?**

**And why he was here?**

**And where he had been?**

**And how did he get here?**

**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**If you've already figured it out, and maybe you did, maybe you didn't, DO NOT SPOIL OR ELSE I WILL CRUCIO YOU TO DEATH OVER THE INTERNET! PLEASE DON'T SPOIL IT!**

**Anyways. ON TO THE LOVELY REVIEWERS!**

A.L. Kingsley**: awww... that's so sweet. I don't usually read Time Traveling stories either (I think I have like two or three on my favourite? maybe?), and part of it probably has to do with the plot thing, so it means a lot. ^_^**

Twelve13:** ummm...ya...you'll see MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, also, your username is kind of weird, but also really cool. Twelve 13, I'm just lmao-ing here (LE MEOW like a french cat ~(^_^)~**

EmpressPyrus**: although Hermione isn't coming for a while (so-rry), I'm happy to answer at least ONE of your questions. Also, I'm not going to give you any spoilers so don't even bother, like, whatev**

lilylunaluver:** maybe**

Harry-Potter-Magic**: it was tough to kill Al, that's all I'm going to say**

HaleyBlack'Cile'coldfire**: i'm a bitch aren't i?**

**BITCH AND PROUD OF IT!**

**It's a really short chapter, but I think the next one will make up for it. Man I was excited. This won't be the last you hear of a cliffhanger! I almost have it every chapter, but there's like three that are super doper major, or maybe more, I got to read over my plans. Any-how...****That's it for now! WOW FOR THE REVIEWS! THANKS A TON AND I'LL SEE YOU REALLY, REALLY SOON!**

**~Lilies**


	13. XII: All in Due Time

**DADADADADADADADA!**

**Here is the long awaited and anticipated chapter where we finally found out some...stuff...Ya, exciting?**

**So, I cheated a little, I'm not sure about the time-zones and all that, but from where I am right now, it's 9:00pm on Tuesday, so it might be a little later, idk, maybe you guys all stay up until midnight or something.**

**Dramatic chapter, and the next one is also dramatic! I am really loving writing this fic, which is good because I actually have a chance to finish it now! Ha! So...ya, good! Next chapter is also a tear-jerker, I'm hoping.**

**As to the information in this chapter, it might be kind of expected (or really expected), but I'm not the best at cliffhangers (EmpressPyrus cough) and I'm sincerely working on it! Very hard I might add! The team will be united in a few, exciting chapters (4 to 5), but in an unexpected way (or maybe you're all really smart potatoes and figured out the entire story, who knows!) Then a HUGE cliffhanger at the end of chapter 19, which is my next goal to accomplish before the end of May (I'm feeling optimistic), and then exams (I actually don't have that many exams, not being a senior or junior and everything), and then summer where I'm pretty much dedicated to this since I have no lives. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of summer, so I can start fresh for the new year! Look out of short projects and one-shots as fillers though, I've got a few cluttering my memory storage.**

**Thanks a ton and hope this chapter answers some questions!**

* * *

**Chapter 12: All in Due Time**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Unknown

**L. Potter** – Seaside Britain

**J. Potter** – Seaside Britain

**L. Scamander **– Seaside Britain

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

December **Year 1997 **Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

Luna stared at the wall.

She did this every day, of course, looking for secret markings that may lead her to a secret passage of Hogwarts, or marvelling at the architecture, or sometimes just staring at it, lost in her own thought.

This was a different adventure all together.

It all started a few days ago, just after Christmas break started. Rose urged her to stay inside Hogwarts, and dutifully, Luna also wrote a letter to her dad, explaining that he cannot print anything else about Harry and the Death Eaters. It was very difficult writing the letter, because the Wizarding world _needed _to know what's going on, and because she drifted off every five minutes when her words started to bore her.

Since Snape's discovery of Dumbledore's Army, the whole school had been very tense, Rose especially. She stared at randomly people and jumps at small noises, looking like a cat half of the time with her tangled mane. Luna wasn't quite sure what made the Gryffindor girl so nervous, perhaps because of the time travelling thing.

So yesterday, Luna sat and stared at the wall again, this time at the library, the only place they could possibly meet now. They gave up trying to hide in the Room of Requirement, since Ginny had also voiced a possible mole on the team (Luna thought it was doubtful, but who knows?). Their meeting place returned to the …library. They couldn't meet all at once without a Slytherin jumping out and giving them detention (did she mention Snape started up the Inquisitorial Squad again?). Thankfully, it was just Rose and her that day.

"We need to get down to the Chamber of Secrets."

It wouldn't take most people by surprise, but Luna Lovegood wasn't most people. She merely blinked and agreed. Her brain, although may seem airheaded sometime, was whirring at top speed most of the time. She instantly clicked that Rose was talking about the Basilisk fan in it-one thing that can kill the Horcruxes.

Curious by nature (she _was_ a Ravenclaw; of course), Luna had read up all about Horcrux. There weren't much information regarding it, but she managed to convince Professor McGonagall to give her a permission slip to the Restricted Section (she had a feeling that McGonagall knew why she was going there, and made sure it stayed out of Snape's radar). It was gruesome, and evil, the way they were created, so it made sense that their destruction would be as equally cruel.

"We'll go after dinner." Rose planned, "Meet me at Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, there's a disillusion spell I have been waiting to try out." Her eyes darted around the room for eavesdropping students, but everyone seemed be very absorbed in their work, despite it being Christmas break.

Luna nodded, and that's why she was now staring at a wall.

It was actually more of a wall with a sink of it, actually, but Luna liked to think of it as part of the wall, hence, she was staring at it. An engraving of a little snake was marked on the silvery tap. Rose touched it hesitantly and shivered, as if some evil soul had shrivelled up her spine. Myrtle was sobbing somewhere in the stalls ("lonely moan-y and ugly _Myrtle, _I _will_ haunt her to her _death_!), unaware of the action.

"I'm going to try some random hissing sound to see if it works." Rose explained. Luna nodded, but she knew that Rose was voicing her plan, not as an explanation to Luna, but to calm herself. She made weird snake-like noises that didn't sound like much of anything to the blonde Ravenclaw, but it apparently meant a truckload to the sink, as parts of it starts moving apart creakily, revealing a passage down to the chamber.

"I've got a book on Pareseltongue; it sort of depicts the language." Rose explained again. Luna gets how knowledge can comfort someone, it was _always_ better to know, "Of course, most of its speakers are evil, but there are a few exceptions." She paused. _Harry, _Luna thought, Harry was an exception.

They traversed down the passages, passing piles of bones and snake shedding in silence. Rose occasionally would mention some interesting facts about the Chamber or something, but Luna wasn't really listening. Learning about the secret chamber of the most evil of all Hogwarts founder isn't on the top of her to-do list, plus it was giving off a seriously eerie feel. Though the snake had lain dead for almost five years now, Luna can still feel its dark vibe, shaking the passage.

"This is the scariest thing I've ever done." Rose muttered as they entered the main hall, "Have you ever thought that you would ever be down at the Chamber of Secrets to kill a _tiara_?"

_Sometimes, _Luna thought. She did have some crazy dreams, "It is weird." Luna nodded. Silence enveloped them as they stared at the dead skeleton of the snake. She had heard about the climatic event that went down in the chamber, but to be down here was another thing.

"I'll go pick some teeth." She said awkwardly, and treaded carefully towards the snake.

"Why did you keep the diadem from me?"

Okay, looks like they're going to change the topic from giant killer snake skeleton to keeping secrets. Luna sighed, she wasn't sure really, but she had a hint that it might come in handy if she kept it for a while…

"I'm a Ravenclaw, Rose." She sighed, "We've all dreamt of finding the lost diadem one day, I just wanted it hold it for a while." Luna shrugged, "Also, I sort of might have a little bit intention to blackmail you."

"Seriously?"

"You seemed really troubled." Luna earnestly, "Like sometime was bothering you a lot, is it that boyfriend you're so fond of?"

Rose had gone blanch, and looking seriously bony for a second. Luna just realized how hollow the 17 year old girl looked. She was barely of age and has gone to a chamber that hasn't been discovered in centuries (other than the Harry Potter thing, of course), of course she'd look hollow. If Luna had paid more attention to her appearance, maybe she'd look the same too.

"Yes." Rose's voice quivered, "I'm not really supposed to be talking about myself at a time like this, and I've got a mission to complete." She nodded at the death snake behind Luna, "besides, I don't want to bore you to death with my drama."

Luna nodded, but she did felt let down. She thought that Rose would trust her, but then again, Luna hasn't really given her any reason to, keeping the Horcrux from the girl. She felt terrible.

"I'm sorry for doing that." Luna apologized sincerely, "It's not even really me to blackmail people, but I figured you wouldn't be opened to share your crisis otherwise."

Rose smiled sadly, "It's fine." And she pulled a snake tooth out of its socket, as venom dripped down and the ginger girl stepped away quickly, "I'll tell you one day."

That was enough, though Luna was sure that she probably won't tell, it was nice that Rose took her feelings into consideration.

"Let's kill a part of his soul!" Luna cried, and pulled out a snake tooth for herself.

* * *

Sometimes Aly really wished she didn't exist.

It's not suicidal, at least, not too much, but she felt bad that she didn't really get that big of a reaction out of her mum coming back to Hogwarts, the details are a little hazy of how she came back and how Snape even allowed her to come back, but Hannah said that she had extra help for the inside.

Aly should be thrilled, especially since she had been throwing up over the last few days since Hannah's disappearance, which can't be a good sign, but now as she came back Aly wanted to throw up more. Hannah was perfectly nice and everything, but she thought that she was just…wrong. For example, Hannah's laugh at Neville's jokes were a little bit forced, and vice versa, almost as if they _had _to like each other (they were too nice to break up, or even acknowledge that they're formally dating in the first place), and their conversation were mainly school central, or sometimes about the war. Aly recognized this from their later life, mainly during dinner, when conversation is scarce and usually not fun to participate in.

_You're only saying that because you want Neville and Luna to get together._

Well…true.

_Luna _laughed at _all _of Neville's jokes, their conversation is totally nonchalant and flows faster than Niagara Falls, and they just _looked_ good together. Aly felt sick every time they spoke together, not because she hated it, but because her body felt like it's vanishing. In other words, Neville's other choice as a wife could've been Luna, and therefore Aly wouldn't exist.

The risk of time traveling was a terrible and poor little Aly had to experience it the cruelest ways.

"Hey ALY!" Hannah sang as they sat at the grand stairs of Hogwarts. Aly had excused herself from the couple's presence as she was turning seriously pale, but the stairs wasn't much better. She could still see Luna excitedly telling Neville the story of the Chamber of Secret, a trip she and Rose took earlier in the day, and Neville staring adoringly at the Ravenclaw.

"Hey Hannah." She sighed as her younger mother sat down beside her, "How are things going with Neville?"

"Great." Hannah smiled, but Aly wasn't really sure that she believed that.

"You don't sound very great." _And neither am I, _thought Aly. She felt her hands trembling and she swore she found a grey strand of hair upon her head this morning.

Hannah pursed her lips, "We've been having a bit of trouble since I came back from, well, wherever I was." Along with coming back from the trip without knowing who sent her here, Hannah also suffered from minor memory loose. She sort of remembered going somewhere, the beaches or something, with Harry and the group, but she wasn't really sure what happened. Maybe that's the reason that the Death Eaters aren't targeting her anymore.

"I'm sorry, but you two are adorable together." Then again, as Aly looked back as Luna fixing Neville's hair, maybe not. When she turned back to Hannah, she saw the same longing face that was upon Luna, except, a bit different, maybe mixed in with some determination.

"We've been having trouble for a while now." Hannah sighed, "Even before I left, I-I, I don't think that he likes me all that much."

A million thoughts ran through Aly's head, ranging from '_awesome my OTP can get together', _to the more prominent _'darn, I'm going to die', _but she refrained from saying anything. She already tangled up the past as much as possible, just being here and talking to them.

"I'm breaking up with him." Hannah sighed, "It's about time that I get someone who looks at me the way Neville looks at her."

They were extremely happy, Aly thought fondly, but then a strange sensation came over her, her arms went limb as if they weren't even hers anymore.

_I could set things right, _Aly thought furiously, _I could tell Hannah that there's still hope, and I'll survive. _But as Aly watched her mother's retreating figures, she knew she would never force them together. All her life she wished for her parents to be happy, but maybe she never saw that they were, just not with each other. Is not just Neville that deserves Luna, but Hannah who deserves someone as well.

_I'm totally going to die over this, _Aly sighed as she prepares for possibly her last few days on Earth, _literally._

* * *

_**Previously on Operation Time Turners…..**_

_A snap of a twig came from out of nowhere, Lily perked up. It was the most cliché thing to do when a twig snaps, but Lily knew what it meant. She had watched enough muggle action movies to know that someone was coming. Quickly she made her way back to camp along the beach, but a hand grabbed her and stuffed her into the forest._

_She screamed, and kicked, and punched, but she seemed to be hitting nothing but air. The hand had clamped around her mouth, suffocating her a little and making her chock. This is it, Lily thought, I'm dead. Might as well, she'll be with Al and James._

_What was she thinking? A daughter of the Harry Potter would never back down. No matter what happened to her brothers, she had to keep on fighting. Lily mustered enough energy and bit the hand._

"_OW!" Her attacker yelped, which sounded familiar, but Lily didn't bother to try and remember it because it pulled her in again and dragged her into the bushes._

"_LET ME GO YOU STUPID OAF!" She yelled as the hand finally released her, as she dropped to the ground. Finally. She brushed off some dirt while getting out her wand. Lily looked up at the kidnapper and gasped. No. _

_No. _

_What?_

"_Nice to see you too sis."_

* * *

December **Year 1997 **Seaside Britain

* * *

"James?"

"Hey Lil's." Her older brother wore that stupid goofy smile that Lily was both glad and angry to see. He hasn't changed much, over the last four month she had missed him, he did grew a bit taller, if that as even possible, and more mature definitely. Clearly, wherever James disappeared off to, wasn't a tropical island in Hawaii, and maybe what he did was worse than Lily had been through, even though she couldn't see how. He looked tired, with bags under his brown eyes (like their mother), and scars imprinted all over his arm. Lily winced at a particularly gruesome one on his left arm, wondering what curse had her brother been through.

"Don't you hey Lil's me!" She cried in a mix between angry and relief. He was _alive, _which _should _be all that matters, except he left her in thinking that he had been died, or at the best, captured and/or injured. Lily had already lost one brother, how dare James let her think she had lost another one and pretend everything was alright. At that thought, she promptly picked up a nearby stone and hit it across his head, "That's for not telling me where you were!" She yelled, her green eyes sparkling in rage, "And you still haven't told me where you were, in fact, or why you disappeared, or how you disappeared, or ANYTHING!" **(A/N in which Lily is the readers)**

She was panting hard right now, yelling at a long lost brother took a lot more energy than it sounds, and Lily wasn't in the best condition to hit him, not with the buddle of winter clothing and feet of snow getting in the way. He was still quite a distance from her, having jumped away at her outburst. Lily wasn't sure if she wanted to tackle him in a hug or kill him on the spot, and settled for glaring into his soul, maybe that'll knock some sense into him and he'll realize how stupid he was.

"Great, you've calmed down." James breathed, even though that wasn't even remotely true, "Let me explain everything."

"You better." Lily narrowed her eyes more, and crossed her arm for emphasis effect.

"I was undercover." James sighed, "Top secret mission I designed for myself, even dad didn't know about it."

"So you just decided randomly to skip off the hard stuff and go right off to finish Vol-You-Know Who himself." Lily said wryly. He was such an idiot.

"It's not like that Lily." James protested, looking alarmed at his sister's still cold demeanor, surely he thought that the ginger girl would be glad to see him, well, he was wrong, Lily thought, or at least until he explains what the bloody hell is going on, "In fact, I'm pretty sure my mission was harder."

"We've escaped Malfoy Manor under the eyes of the Malfoy family, _both _of them, and had too maybe close calls with the Death Eaters, in which we lost Hermione, Ron, and Lysander." Lily said crisply, "Let's hear how your months went." Dawn was breaking overhead and sun rose over the sky, it was December 26. She did get to see her brother on Christmas, but it didn't exactly end the way she planned.

James sighed, "I was a Death Eater."

Lily always knew her brother was the stupidest brother alive, like, really stupid. He had been in the illegal creature black market for two months before their mum found out and grounded him for a year. He had dedicated his fifth year to perfecting a candy that will make someone's head explode, but this was something else entirely different. It wasn't just stupid, it was extraordinarily, undoubtedly, and unquestionably idiotic to the measure beyond mankind. Lily stared incredulously at James, hoping that Uncle Fred will randomly jump out of the snow pile and yell 'APRIL FOOLS', even though it wasn't his birthday for another 4 months.

"A Death Eater." Lily replied, trying to gather her thoughts, and miserably failing. She just couldn't connect the dot of how her brother, of all people, could be a Death Eater. Didn't Albus die at the hand of one? Didn't they try to hunt down their father for his whole life? Didn't it contradict everything they had ever believed in?

"Oh my god." Lily sighed. She put her hand to her forehead and steadies herself, "You…" She pointed her other finger at her older, stupid, brother, "WHAT?"

"Not a real one, mind you!" James laughed; clearly the idea of being an actual Death Eater was just as crazy as it was to him, "I've been working undercover as Jeremiah, and gaining secrets from the other side."

Lily blinked.

"Isn't their whole plan to kill dad and make sure Vold-You-Know-Who's reign of terror continues?" She asked. Well, that and killing random muggles and muggle-born, but that was the cult's main plan at least.

James sighed, "There's something more to it, I figured."

"You figured?" Lily cried. Throwing another nearby rock at James. He was so infuriating with his stupid riddles and disappearances, and she thought she was the smart one, well, not as smart as Albus…

"They've got the best minds of the century working over there Lils'." James said, and for a second, her older brother, the Gryffindor graduated Auror, looked…scared, she guessed that stressing at Malfoy Manor can do that to a person, "If they wanted to kill dad, face it, they would've done it a long time ago."

Lily blinked again. This was a lot of information to process. Sure they've had a pretty tough time for the past four months, but each time they had manage to escape. She liked to think that it was because they were good at the job, but maybe not. Maybe, like James said, it was a distraction… They did get away easily sometimes, like that Death Eater at Malfoy Manor…

"It was you!" She exclaimed, as the pieces started to click together, "You were the one that helped us escape at Malfoy's house!"

James rolled his eyes, "That took you a while." As if it was the most obvious thing in the world. It sort of was, and Lily mentally slapped herself for not seeing it. She had always thought the two things separately, her brother's disappearance and the help, but in retrospect…

"So you think that they're planning something bigger." Lily said, now she saw why James was scared earlier. Something bigger than killing their dad, possibly Voldemort's biggest threat… She was raised in a house where the Dark Lord's name never scared anyone, but now she was glad of the taboo, which gave her an excuse not to utter the horrible name, "What?"

James sighed, like admitting defeat, "_Jeremiah _isn't that high in the ranks, plus he's got Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange sniffing him out. It's lucky that I'm good at occlumency." He joked. That was James, always making the air light even at a serious conversation.

"I've got to go with you." Lily decided as she moved past James towards the beaches again. She'll have to tell Harry and Lysander that they found James, well, not James, because that would sound suspicious, maybe she'll give him a codename like Jamie or Jake or something. Then she can go with James on this super-secret mission, and not worry about whether or not he's alive half of the time. Since Harry isn't Volde-You-Know-Who's main target any more, she was pretty sure Lysander can handle him…

"No!" James panicked; having his little sister tag along was _not _part of the plan. Lily was smart and everything, but he couldn't risk losing _her._ "I can't have something happen to you. It, it's too painful." He sighed.

Lily glared, "You mean like what happened to you?" She demanded, "How did you think I felt?" That was the thing she was most angry about, not that he left, but he didn't tell her why, or even when he left. He abandoned her, like Albus, like Scorpius and Ron; she was almost all alone for _Christmas _for goodness sakes!

"I'm sorry." James stuttered, not meeting his sister's eyes, which were gleaming green and furious, "But if they had caught you, like Hermione."

"Where's Hermione anyways?" Lily asked, steering the conversation away from the sore subject. She wasn't the best with feeling, which was more Rose's department. Rose…wonders what happened to her now.

"She escaped." James sighed, at least that was _one _good thing, you know, other than the whole her brother is really alive, but she was still too angry to take that as good news, "I was at the manor when she was captured, but the next day she was just…gone." He said simply, "Aunt Hermione is freakishly smart; she probably had a telepathic link with Dobby the house elf or something."

That sounded like a Hermione thing to do, Lily mused, "You're sure she's…out there?"

James nodded, "Positive, Bellatrix wouldn't have smashed the chandelier if she was still imprisoned."

That seemed to make Lily feel a little better, until she realized that she wasn't the only one steering the conversation the wrong way. James had told her she can't go with him on the mission, which was an idea too stupid to be allowed, "Don't try to change the topic." Lily smirked, "I'm going with you. I'll get a stupid mark or something if I have to, you're not leaving again."

James sighed, like it was inevitable (which it totally was), "It's my mission, Lils. And I can't risk your life for this. Death Eaters are constantly roaming, You-Know-Who shows up every other day, killing whoever displeases him, and Lucius and Bella…"

Ignoring the fact that James just called Bellatrix Lestrange Bella (must be a Death Eater thing), Lily persisted, "You'll need help, and I'm expert at getting what I want." Being the youngest sibling and daughter, it does happen, "Besides, you can vouch me and everything!" She smiled pleadingly. He _had _to let her go.

James whistled, "I'm not in their good books right now, the Death Eaters or the cult, in fact…" he checked his watch, "We're supposed to be patrolling the perimeter for any activity, it's the boarder and they want to catch the people trying to flee the country." He settled to walk out of the forest, but Lily pulled his back.

"You seriously think you can get away that easily?" Lily gave her best 'bitch please' look, "Come on James, I can handle it!"

"You haven't even passed your OWLs." James said bitterly, "Dad should've let you come on this mission in the first place."

That…actually stung.

Was he saying that because he was being a stupid overprotective brother, or did he actually think Lily wasn't good enough? She mastered the Bat-Bogey Hex at age 12! She passed all her exams with top marks (thankfully she wasn't in Rose's year, because that was some stiff competition). She'd been on more missions, including this one, than most of the third year Aurors in training, of course she was good. She was _better_.

Or did he think that he was superior to her just because he was older, more experienced, or, merlin's beard, a boy. Lily was fuming right now, but realizing that being angry won't get her what she wants.

"Please James." She gave her puppy dog look instead. Her eyes widening as she willed herself to tear up, "You can't leave me here." _Cry. _She demanded herself, and tears started to pour like in April. James looked alarmed like he just got caught trying to take candy from a baby.

"Uhhh, Lils." He said uneasily, "Please not cry."

Lily screwed up her face, "I was so worried." She wailed, hoping that she woke up Harry or Lysander so that they'll check it out, and let out a huge cry, "I don't want to lose you again!"

Comprehension came across James' face, which could be nothing but trouble, "I know what you're doing Lils." He sighed, pulling away from her and retreating away, "But I've got to go. Only staying undercover will I be able to find out their true plan, and seriously…" he joked, "the food is terrible."

Lily's crying stopped on cue. He was being dead serious right now, despite all the joking. He really wasn't going to allow her to hitch-hike on his mission. It wasn't _fair, _but it was happening.

"Fine." She mumbled, "But you better not die." She really did tear up a little, but refuse to make another scene (real this time). She didn't want to let her brother go after _just _finding him. It was Christmas!

She hated that blasted holiday.

"I'll try." James laughed lightly, and, as if suddenly remembering something, he fumbled through his bag.

"What is it?" She asked, whipping away her tears silently and acted like it didn't matter. It didn't matter he was going to leave her and get his own death note. Nope.

"The sword of Gryffindor." James said, pulling a long silver sword out of the small knapsack, "I had a feeling it'll come in handy."

Lily had no idea where he could've gotten it, but James had read as many _Harry Potter History _books as she had, so maybe he went to the Forest of Dean and check it out. She still had little idea of where he had been.

"Thanks." She said flatly, and secured the sword at her belt. _Now _he _had_ to go, Lily thought, as they stared at each other for a while. When will Lily ever see her big brother again?

James suddenly hugged her unexpectedly, crushing her, but Lily didn't mind, James didn't hug people very often, "We'll get through this mission." He assured her

_Perhaps, _Lily thought silently, _but not together._

* * *

**What? James? a Death Eater? Jeremiah? I TOTALLY DID NOT SEE THIS COMING!**

**Actually, some of you did, clever little cookies you, and I appreciate you not spoiling it :D Yep! There's a bigger plan with the Death Eaters, will be involved in the cliffhanger at the end of chapter 19. No spoiling anything else though, I feel like you already know what's going on.**

**So, yep, there's that, and sadly, Albus is dead dead dead dead, it pains me to write that, but there will be chapters in flashbacks (I love doing those) coming up, as well as the TEAM REUNION! Excited? No? Yes? Maybe? Review!**

**On to my lovely reviewers :D**

**Soccerisawesome19: What?**

**EmpressPyrus: shut up already (I'm friends with her in real life so I have the right to be mean, thank you)**

**ontheFLY: WELCOME TO THE FANFIC!**

**Harry-Potter-Magic: sorry... Ya! James is back! Let's focus on the positive! WOOOOO!**

**lilylunaluver: ummm...please don't kill me, I gave you James' whereabouts and stuff. PLEASE SPARE MY LIFE!**

**Is that everyone? Wow! REVIEW MORE PEOPLE AND YOU WILL GET A VERY LOVELY AND EXPENSIVE VIRTUAL COOKIE!**

**~Lilies**


	14. XIII: In the Nick of Time

**So...**

**SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY ****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY****SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY**

**I've got exams and summitives coming up (the oldest excuse in the book but the truest ones as well), but I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE to always update at least once every 10 days (that seems do-able, right?), and I know that after the whole James thing, a lot of the mystery is solved, but I assure you that is not. SO DO NOT STOP READING AND GET MORE PEOPLE TO READ! Thank you :D**

**As for James, we'll be signing off with him for a while (just a little while, I hope), and Ron, Hermione, and Scorpius WILL be making an apperance VERY SOON, so stay tuned!**

**We introduce a new character, Ella, who might I say is one of my favorites next to Lily. She was completely last minute, but after a look at my plans, I figure that she will be very important. I've always had the idea of this spiritual old guru person, but then I was like SCREW IT, let's add in more sassy characters, so here she is.**

**Ella Gardner everyone.**

**She's really my only true OC, because Aly is sort of like the ideal Neville/Hannah daughter that is a lot of people's head canon (I think), so Ella is completely new, and I hope you enjoy it!**

**Yep**

**THANK YOU FOR NOT MURDERING IN MY SLEEP, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I MAY DESERVE IT!**

**~Lilies**

* * *

**Chapter 12: All in Due Time**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Unknown

**L. Potter** – Seaside Britain

**J. Potter** – Unknown

**L. Scamander **– Seaside Britain

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

January **Year 1998 **Diagon Alley

* * *

Most people would be scarred that two of his best friends in the entire world is gone, as well as a girl whom is dating his other friend, and is now travelling with two almost strangers claiming their time travelers, but not Harry Potter. While most people would be suspicious of Lacey and Lenny, Harry tried to trust them as much as possible. Besides, who else could his trust in the world?

Not Dumbledore, because he's dead.

Not Sirius, because he's dead.

Not his parents, because they're dead.

And not Ron and Hermione, who are, at the moment, as good as dead.

_No, _he forced himself to shake the thought away. Ron and Hermione are most definitely _not _dead, they're way too clever for that (Hermione at least), and if all goes as planned, at the end of the day, Harry will get another Horcrux.

Lacey had randomly showed up the other day with the Sword of Gryffindor, and after testing out its authentic-ness by smashing the locket into pieces, Harry confirmed that it was real. He learned not to question the ginger girl too much, for she did remind him of someone…he couldn't quite put his finger on it (though it felt like it was staring him in the face with her big green eyes), but he felt like he could trust her.

Lacey had been…well, sort of unstable since she somehow got the Sword of Gryffindor from a bush. He wasn't quite sure what happened, but she had shut herself in the tent for a whole day, and Lenny told him to give her some rest, but even the blonde boy didn't have that many ideas as to what made Lacey so irritable lately. Harry only had a few female friends, Hermione, Ginny (until it changed to girlfriend), Luna to name a few, and they aren't particularly teary, so he had no idea how to comfort the girl, and was sort of relieved that he had an excuse not to.

But now the ginger girl was back on her feet and looking more fierce than ever, as they trekked their way across Britain back to the central of things: London, specifically, Diagon Alley. It was a risk to come here, but Lacey assured that she had done some great disguise charms and made Harry unrecognizable. Now they were shuffling along the cobblestone steps of the alleyway, edging towards Gringotts, or as Lacey put it, their next great feat.

"The horcrux, Hufflepuff's Cup." She had told them just before they packed up camp on the snowy beach and headed towards the heart of England, "In Bellatrix Lestrange's vault, that's our next destination, and if it goes well, we should be able to find Ron and Hermione too."

To be truthful, Harry was looking forward to seeing his best friend again rather than having the Horcrux. His experience with the locket was traumatizing, almost like in 5th year when Voldemort got inside his mind. He needed warmth now, not the coldness and evil that came from another piece of _his _soul.

"Let's go over the plan." Lacey said, her ginger hair dyed blonde and her green eyes now bluer, giving her a Barbie doll kind of look, "We'll sneak around outside and find a Goblin, imperius him to take us to the back door of Gringotts, and sneak in that way."

Imperius curse, Harry shuddered, there was a huge argument over the decision, but Lacey seemed determine that it's the right way to go. Harry ruffled his now light brown hair nervously, if they had used it to defeat the most powerful dark wizard of all time, they have to be _forgiven, _right?

"Move out." Lenny whispered and poked Harry with his finger. The blonde and blue eyed boy now resembled a bit like Ron, for him and Lacey switched attributes. His blue eyes were still prominent, but his hair was dark auburn and longer, like shreds. He looked awful, they all did.

"Right." Harry naturally had to stumble past the steps and hurried to follow Lacey.

She was focused, as if nothing else mattered in the world, channeling all her energy into this one mission, and Harry admired that about her incredibly. She was able to put aside all her grief, or anger, or whatever that was, and _focus, _even Harry himself have a little trouble at that sometimes, and she was younger than he was, by biological age at least.

The crept along the way, trying not to look suspicious. Harry's eye had turned brown at Lacey's charm, but he still needed glasses. They risked it because Harry having the same glasses was probably better than Harry with poor eyesight. They took a few steps together, stared into the hollow displays and the hollow people attempting to decorated and made small chat about the weather.

"I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow." Lenny said obviously.

"That would be truly awful." Harry agreed, this was more effort than it looked.

They managed to be one block away from Gringotts when they were stopped by something, someone, or rather, two someones.

"Step this way gents and lady!" A familiar voice froze Harry on the spot, "Visit the newly renovated Weasley's Wizard Wheezes for a bit of sunshine to brighten up your day!"

Lacey turned around first, and looked as if she saw a six legged giant frog, "Wha-wia-fg-dhh-hh" she sputtered. Harry blinked as he turned as well, staring into the identical grinning faces of Fred and George.

"Uhh…" Harry stuttered, "We're not interested."

Fred gave George an amusing look, "_Of course _you are! Right this way, mind the rats!" As a sewer mice ran past Harry's feet. Both twins dragged him past the crowd into the brightly lit store, which stuck out like a sore thumb against the gray of the Diagon Alley, looking a ghost of when Harry first lain eyes upon it. He looked back helplessly, as Lacey and Lenny followed rapidly.

"We've got your basic prank kits." George announced, "Anti-Gravity Hats, Aviatable Mobile, and Boxing Telescopes!" gesturing at the stocks.

"Really, we should be-" Lacey's meek protest was drowning out by the sound of loud marching bands from inside the store.

"We should really check that out." Fred said amusingly, as if having no intention of doing so, "Let's go to the back room and ring up your purchases!"

"Why would we-"

"We're not buyi-"

"What-"

They were still dragged, sputtering out apologizes and goodbyes, the entire way up the stairs to Fred and George's apartment. It wasn't a shabby place, despite the business running low due to the Death Eater activities. It had a small kitchen, twin beds, and bunch of projects lying around everywhere.

"Make some tea would you George?" Fred laughed as he pushed the three unwilling visitors on to nearby couches.

George lazily flicked his wand as the pot began doing a weird dance.

"Now Harry, you really didn't think that disguise was going to fool anyone, did you?" George yawned and propped his feet up at the coffee table.

Wha-

"Maybe the Death Eaters are too thick to see it, but you've still got your glasses on." Fred laughed as he settled down beside his twins. They looked identical down to their freckles, except one was missing an ear, Harry supressed the rage that came with the incident. _Snape, _although Lacey assured him that he is working on their side, it doesn't change the fact that he killed Dumbledore, that he betrayed his parents, that…

"So where's Ronnikins?" George grinned. For the first time, Harry glanced back as his two companions. Lysander's disguise had faded away, as his hair lightened and returned to its blondeness, but Lacey's hair was still platinum and straight.

"Lacey." She sounded a little different, like she was purposely trying to disguise her voice, "Lacey Peterson, and my friend, Lenny Smith."

"Right…friend." Fred and George exchanged amused glances that made Lacey turn as red as her hair…well, her old hair. Harry wondered why she hasn't reverted back yet.

"Ron left." Harry said hastily, and ignoring the painfully stunned faces of the twins, "and Hermione got kidnapped, sort of, but then apparently she escaped because we went to check at Malfoy Mano-"

"Hold the pumpkin!" Fred jumped from his comfortable spot, "You went to Malfoy Manor?"

Harry blinked.

"Ya." He answered, "Ron left right after trying to find her, Hermione, I mean, and here we are." He left a lump at his throat, but ignored it.

"I wouldn't put it pass Ronnie to do something this impulsive, but if he found Hermione, then they should be alright." George sighed, "At least you're safe."

A question popped into Harry's mind, which was so obvious that it was probably staring at him in the face for a while, "Why are you guys here?" He blurt, "I thought the Ministry was tracking you guys." _Because of me, _he added inside his head.

"It took a lot of convincing, but we managed to allow ol'mum to let us live here." Fred gestured to the cramped loft. Despite the spacious store underneath them, the apartment was actually sort of small; Harry couldn't imagine Fred and George being cramped down here for very long.

"We do quite a bit of scouting." George was now stirring his tea nonchalantly, "Dig around for some underground information, had to team up with Mundungus Fletcher for a mission in Knockturn Alley." He grimaced, "Not as fun as it sounds."

It didn't sound very fun, but Harry was glad to see them well and at work.

"So the Order is still up and running?" He asked eagerly.

"Kinsley Shacklebolt runs a lot of it." Fred admitted, "He's a good bloke, but nothing compared to…"

_Dumbledore._

Harry pushed the thought of his old mentor out of his brain and concentrated on the task at hand, they still had to get into Gringotts, and as nice as it would be to escape into Fred and George's world of nonchalance and fun, they couldn't stay here forever.

"Thanks for the tea, but we should be going now." Harry said, standing up and feeling the others following him behind.

Their reaction was so quick that a second later, Harry was pinned back down to the couch, with a bewildered Lacey and Lenny stuffed back in their seats as well.

"You've not going anywhere." Fred said, scarily resembling Molly, and…Ginny, Harry thought longingly, "It's lucky that we caught you this time; imagine they caught you doing…what you were doing."

"Trying to rob Gringotts."

Fred's eyes bulged; Harry didn't think the twins would be surprised at anything, "You're kidding right?"

"No!" Harry pushed them off, but they were two years older and a lot faster, "There's something in there that will help us defeat Volde-You-Know-Who." He caught himself last minute, "Let. Me. Go!"

"You're staying." George said with finality, "Hate to say this mate, but that's too dangerous."

Fred winced as he continued, "And that's coming from us, Harry, so you know it's true."

* * *

January **Year 1998 **Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"Thank you Ms. Weasley."

Rose flinched; it had been so long since she had been called a Weasley. It was part of the plan that they not reveal their true identity to their relatives, but Snape wasn't related, hell, he wasn't even going to make it to the future. She _had _to trust him, besides; he had to trust her as well.

"Are you sure this works?" He bend over her handy work, a small device that looks like a muggle GPS, but more ancient looking and made from a wooden material, not plastic and metal.

"Positive." Rose sighed, "I've been combing through the Ministry library for a year before I came on the mission. I think I got the spell right." Technology had advanced remarkably in almost 3 decades. There were so many innovative designs: self-stirring cauldrons, tree growing charms, and a recent discovery: object tracker.

"Even if we don't have the object in mind, we could still track it?" Snape said skeptically.

"We just need something similar to it, besides, it's not very big." She pulled out a fat golden galleon from her bag, not the communication one, which was lost somewhere in the Room of Requirement, just a normal galleon, "We can track any galleon within the country, and we'll turn up the magic requirement to find _the _galleon."

"And therefore your _friends_." Snape spoke the last word unpleasantly; Rose realized with a start that friends must've been very rare in the headmaster's life, except for Lily, Rose's great-aunt-in-law, who chose Snape's worst enemy over him.

"Right." She shook herself out of the thought, "Except…"

"Except?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"The signal needs a bit tweaking." She sighed, that was a lie, she had done everything perfectly, and they should be able to track Lily even if she's at the edge of the country, "We don't want every piece of magical gold to turn up." She lied through her teeth. Truth to be told, there was still a hint of doubt. When Snape had asked for her favor (as if betraying her friend wasn't enough), Rose signed on because, well, she thought she could trust him. He wasn't a Death Eater and gave his own life for Uncle Harry, those people could be trusted. There was still something unnerving about him though, and Rose just needs…more time.

"Fine, I'll leave you to your research." Snape handed her the object and shooed her out the office. Just like that, as soon as she became less valuable, she was out.

Rose numbly exit the staircase and immediately crashed into something, at first thought was a mirror, because the person had wild red hair too, but it was just her brother.

"Hey Hugo." She smiled, trying to seem nonchalant and as though she didn't come from the headmaster's office.

"What's that?"

Crap.

She was still holding the tracker.

"Nothing." Rose stammered, but she had trouble hiding anything from her brother.

"Isn't that the headmaster's office?" Hugo pointed at the wall behind her, "LEMON DROP!"

Nothing.

"Darn." Hugo sighed, "I guess ol'Snape doesn't like sweets."

"Ya." Rose giggled slightly, "I've got to go, lots of work, and stuff…" she finished quickly and lamely and tried to make as graceful of an exit as possible, before she realized that the tracker was no longer in her grasp.

"Hugo hand it over." She said with a casual tone, as if her lifeline didn't practically depend on it. She wasn't _really _afraid of Snape, but she could still imagine his anger if she had break or lost the tracker.

"I didn't know you packed so thoroughly from the future." Hugo said amusingly, "It looks like that tracker thing that…."

He stopped midsentence and turned his back on Rose, so that he faced that headmaster's office entrance, "Snape's office." He said numbly, "Tracker."

Rose might've been the smarter one of the two, but Hugo wasn't stupid, he still had mother's genes, and with time, Rose knew he would figure it out.

"Let's go to lunch." She suggested, "I'm really hungry."

"Bloody hell." Hugo said slowly, "BLOODY. HELL! YOU'RE THE MOLE?"

Rose grimaced. She hadn't meant for him to find out this way or anyway really. It was a good cause, Snape was a good guy, and she had to convince him of that. She could.

"Look, we can't send messages to Lily know that we-"

"You." He said coldly, not looking up from the device in his hand, Rose swallowed forcefully, "-I lost the communication galleon, but now we can track her, find them and then-"

"You'll get them killed." Hugo seemed to decide, "And it's not easy making a tracker, unless you have money, or the private funds of One PROFESSOR SNAPE!"

Hugo was turning red as his hair, resembling very much like their father when he was mad, and the problem? Their anger has never been directed at her, Rose.

"Please Hugo." She was almost crying now. This wasn't supposed to happen, she was _good. _Rose Weasley was anything but a traitor, she had simply been trying to help. Ginny had the whole mole idea flying around, and now her own brother was mad at her.

"Wow." Hugo said, "I just….can't."

He ran.

"HUGO!" Rose yelled, but her brother was out of range. Rose cursed (it really wasn't like her, but this situation wasn't like her either) and stormed after the ginger boy. She had to explain, it was for the mission's sake, they've lost communication and this was the only way to-

_Oof._

"Sorry dear." Rose stumbled into a messed figure. Professor Trelawney in all her loony-ness with a pack of card scattered around them. Perhaps Rose should be a bit more respectful towards the professor, as she did make the prophecy that altered the entire Wizarding world, but she was dressed in a large shawl and her magnified eyes was looking especially kooky today.

"It's alright." She said, looking beyond the teacher at her brother's retreating figure, _he just doesn't understand, but it's alright, I've got a plan and…._

"Spades!" Trelawney picked up the nearest card, "Dear, oh dear."

"Ummm, what do spades mean?" Rose asked nervously, mostly out of kindness and not of curiosity, but immediately regretted it as Trelawney looked scandalized. She shouldn't be taking up all this time…

"The grave fortune card." Trelawney said grimly, "Foretelling an unexpected event that can shake the world!" She called dramatically.

"Right." Rose said hastily, "I've got to go to dinner, it's nice talking to you!" She nervously ran off to find wherever the hell Hugo was. Trelawney was an old fraud, most of the time, everyone knows that, and her seer abilities are incredibly shaky, but really, she did make _the _Prophecy, what if there was some truth in this one as well?

_Don't be ridiculous Rose, _she scolded herself. The last thing they needed was a prophecy getting in the way of their quest.

* * *

_1 step, 2 steps, 3 steps, 4 steps._

Rule number one of walking aimlessly around the Hogwarts corridor, you know you're incredibly bored and/or frustrated when you started to _count _your steps.

_5 steps, 6 steps, 7 steps, 8 steps._

Aly thought that walking out here would help her think on the Neville/Luna/Hannah problem, and boy did her thinking about it, but to no resolution. She had always known her dad as the far off hero, someone that all kids looked up to but never really known personally. Up close he seemed a bit lonely, depressed even. And her mum? Completely wrecked from the divorce and incoherent half of the time. Didn't she wish that they would be happy since she was a little girl?

Now that she had a chance to make them happy, she was being a coward, not at all like a true Gryffindor.

Sure, the price was her own life and everything, but how much longer will Aly stand watching both her parents being unhappy?

_9 steps, 10 steps, 11 steps, 12 steps._

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING?"

The voice came out of nowhere and hit Aly like a box of bricks, and made her stumble back to the edge of the wall. She was at the 7th floor, somewhere closer to the Room of Requirement, facing a person that she was sure she had seen before, but can't quite place where.

"You're a ghost." She made her first, very smart, note.

"Congrats, you can see." The girl said wryly. She looked nothing like the 20th century Hogwartian student, with her wild light brown hair that was dyed blue in several places (although she's a ghost, so they weren't as vibrate as they should've been), and her eyes, which would be bright electric blue if they weren't so…eh…dead, was sort of watery. Aly wondered how she ended up here, at Hogwarts of all places. She didn't look much older than Aly, maybe 16, 17?

"I've never seen you before." She answered lamely. It's true. If she was truly a ghost, then she still would've been around when Aly went to Hogwarts, a few decades in the future, but she didn't look like any ghost of the past era, but someone more…futuristic, "When did you die?" That might've been a little insensitive.

"Actually…" The girl thought for a well, her eyes lighting on fire, "I'm not even born yet."

Okay…..

"Not making any sense here." Aly mumbled, and got up from her spot at the wall. Now she had a better view of the ghost, and saw that she was wearing Muggle clothing. Weirder.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm a time traveler. And I'm guessing you're one too." She smirked, "Alice Longbottom, right?"

Aly stepped back in shock. She had an alias in the past, Aly Wellington, half-sister to Rose and Hugo, how did this ghost…ghost time traveler (?) knows her name?

"Ella Gardner." She held out her hand, with was covered in various rings, before realizing her current state, "Right…" she laughed, as if being dead didn't faze her one bit, "I know who you are because we've met before."

"No offense, _Ella_." Aly seemed to find her tongue again, "But I would've remembered if we've met."

Ella closed her eyes for a moment (though Aly could still see through them), "Right, keep forgetting that we're from different dimensions."

"I'm _really_ confused right now." Aly threw her arm up. The last thing she needed on her mind was a claimed time traveler from the future (present? Whatever) that she supposedly met or whatever. Why did she have to speak in cryptic anyways?

"It's the rules of time travelling." Ella blinked, "My dad's an Unspeakable at the Ministry, and works at the Time Department. In fact, he's one of the people that helped to discover the Titanium Time Turner."

Aly's mind flashed back to the piece of metal jewelry probably hanging around Rose's neck right now, and remembered its discovery. Eric Gardner, the head of the Time Department at the Department of Mystery was at its unrevealing ceremony, as well as Lucius Malfoy….

"Okay then." Aly sighed, "Why are you here? And what do you mean by the 'different' dimension?"

"The laws of time travelling states that every time travelling through time occurs, a new dimension is created, which has the same background up until the point of the time travelling from the first dimension, and the first dimension vanishes, or seize to exist." Ella sounded like a textbook as she rattled off her answers, "Basically, you create a whole new universe when you time travel."

"That makes sense." Aly replied, not understanding it one bit, "So what does this have to do with anything?"

"You, Alice Longbottom." Ella pointed her translucent finger through Aly's forehead (Ella was floating a little), "Are from the first dimension, and whereas I'm from the second one, _after _the events of this time travelling is taken into account."

"So I'm in the second dimension right now?" Aly questioned. It did make a bit of sense, what she said, "But doesn't that mean I should have different memories, because first and second Aly are different?"

Ella shrugged, "The universe has a way of working out that, unless you die or something extreme happens, you pretty much end up the same."

"So why are you here?" If Ella was sent from the 'second' dimension, or whatever you call it, what did it mean for the mission? Did they succeed? Or was Ella sent because they didn't? And why is she a ghost?

Ella, for the first time since Aly met her, looked a little shy, "Well, Alice Longbottom, I was sent to instruct _you _specifically, about the rules of time travel." She looked at Aly expectantly, but when she didn't get a reaction (unless blinking was a reaction), she continued, "But it seemed that fate didn't agree with me, because I landed right in middle of the Whomping Willow and got sliced by the tree." She winced at the memory, "Of course I still had a job to do, so I chose to stay back as a ghost." She gestured to her transparent self, "So far it's not working out as I'd liked; I have to stay in this crappy outfit for the rest of my life."

Aly wasn't the type to care about clothes too much, having worn a uniform since she was eleven (most Hogwarts girls end up like her, but there are exceptions), instead, Ella was decked in Muggle wear that Aly would've stereotyped as 'Goth', except she wasn't quite sure if that was correct, and settled for 'really dark clothing'. Black lace-up boots, black jacket over a white (surprise) t-shirt and a black n' white mini-skirt over black leggings. Ella was covered in gold and silver (which were dull due to death) jewelry, and even wore a golden nose ring shaped like a dragon. She thought that the girl looked fine. Then again, having to be stuck with the same outfit for an eternity was terrible, and Ella's only been died for what? A few weeks at most.

"I'm sorry?" Aly tried, but that didn't seem to justify being stuffed in a mini-skirt for the rest of her life, "Umm…thanks for being here, I guess." She finished lamely. Ella had said that she came back to the past to instruct _her, _Aly, on the specifics of time travelling, but what? What could possibly be so important that they had sent another time traveler? More importantly, what changed so extravagantly in the future that they had not told her _before _she came on the mission?

"Is that all?" It seemed like such a small amount of information to pass on to Aly in exchange for Ella's death, but the brunette seemed to handle it pretty well.

"Yep." Ella popped the 'p', "See you when you get back to the future!" And waved off, doing a little skip as she went.

That was…interesting…to put lightly. Aly sensed that Ella wasn't lying, but what had she learnt so far that was helpful?

"_The universe has a way of working out that, unless you die or something extreme happens, you pretty much end up the same."_

Aly's heart jumped up to her throat as she replayed those messages inside her head. Maybe…._maybe…_perhaps. If what Ella said was correct, maybe it could be the solution to her Neville/Luna/Hannah problem. Aly thought rapidly. Yes…she did take mostly after her dad, and if Neville married someone other than Hannah, perhaps not all of Aly would be taken away. Maybe Aly would be reborn, or something, under a different mother, as a way for the universe to work out. She might not die, and her parents will get to be happy.

It seemed like valuable information now, and she must've succeeded, or else they wouldn't even bother sending this information back to the past with Ella. That's why she was here, to tell Aly that, yes, she can play matchmaking and get Neville and Luna together, and, no, she won't die because of it. She could be Luna's daughter! SHE COULD BE LUNA'S DAUGHTER! Excitement ran through Aly's veins as she raced down the stairs. It will work out!

"Hugo!" She spotted her ginger friend from across the way and tackled him in an uncharacteristic hug, surprising them both, "I DON'T HAVE TO DIE!"

Hugo didn't look nearly as appreciative of the news, but instead wore a guarded expression, and something flicked in those deep blue eyes. Mistrust.

"Hugo?" She slowed down, brushing loose strands of brown hair away from her face and looked closely at her best friend, "What happened?"

Hugo looked as if he swallowed something sour, then spoke in a raspy voice that suggest he was crying for a while, _not good._

"It's about Rose."

* * *

**BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!**

**Gotta love Fred and George.**

**I hope...**

**REVIEWERS!**

**A.L. Kingsley: **OMG, you have no idea how much your reviews make my day :D I literally have no idea why Lily has green eyes because I KNOW she had brown eyes but I always wished that she had green eyes maybe not entirely like Harry but I JUST LOVE A SASSY RED-HEAD WITH GREEN EYES ALRIGHT DON'T JUDGE ME! As for the spoiler theory...they do get back to the future. Of course, or else the story won't end.

Please don't fly into the sun or else I would've lost a great reader :D

**lilylunaluver:** thank you for not killing me. I very much appreciate living and would like to continue living for a longer period of time. *bows* As for Aly, I PM you about this, and I hope this chapter might hint something *hint* *hint*

**Harry-Potter-Magic: **darn me. Darn me. Darn me.

Ya, he's dead dead dead dead dead, and I kind of what to murder me after what I just typed...

**I don't know, tell me what you think. Did this chapter make you cry? Laugh? Both? I'm hoping both but mainly the second one. Any advice on how to write ANYTHING would be fantastic, because as much as I hate critisism, I have to admit (grumbles) constructive critisism really REALLY helps. So keep on reviewing!**

**Also, what are your thoughts on Ella? I like her...maybe? Her cause to call everyone by their full name is sort of made up too. She really reminds me of someone, but I just can't place who...**

**Hmmm...**

**Anyways, review review review review!**

**~Lilies**


	15. XIV: The Last Day On Earth

**SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY!**

**Wow, it's been a whole week and a few days, DARN THOSE PROJECTS! Speaking of which I probably won't do as well next week either because I have Geo (cough EmpressPyrus cough) and French summitives to do.**

**I SPENT LIKE AN HOUR ON ENGLISH TODAY AND FELT COMPLETELY WRITE-D OUT.**

**Then i remembered you guys and cobbled up this chapter together, well, not really, because I've actually been sort of looking forward to this**

**Not as much as the next chapter though, that one's funny. MORE JAMES WOO!**

**Ooops, spoilers...**

**Any how, here it is, titled Last Day on Earth, slightly ominous, no?**

**ONWARDS~**

**Lilies**

* * *

**Chapter 12: All in Due Time**

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**S. Malfoy** – Unknown

**L. Potter** – Diagon Alley

**J. Potter** – Unknown

**L. Scamander **– Diagon Alley

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

January **Year 1998 **Diagon Alley

* * *

"We can't stay here."

Lysander rolled his eyes, "Yes, thank you for pointing out the obvious Lils'."

She grew red that matched her usual hair, but it was currently straight and blonde. Lysander wondered why, maybe being a blonde was growing on her.

Lily glared, her currently blue eyes rolled and she put her hands on her hip as if she was a queen bee, "I'm just saying, we'll need to find a way to sneak out."

Harry snorted, "Never thought we'd have to sneak away from Fred and George because they're too overprotective."

The universe was officially upside-down.

They were locked, basically, in the storage closet, where Fred had conjured some cots out of somewhere and put down some tea and a plate of small sandwiches. There was no window, a door that was locked, and a whole lot of boxes that overfilled with prank items. Lily had been rushing through, trying to find something that might help.

"Have we tried _Alohomora_ yet?" Lysander asked.

Lily glared, "You think I haven't tried that yet Lenny? Honestly, how stupid do you think I am?"

Lysander put up his hand in surrender, and started to poke around the nearby boxes as well. Fred and George sold prank items, maybe there was like a magical one size fit all key or something, or maybe like the knife that Sirius gave Uncle Harry all that time again.

Speaking of Sirius, it looked as if Harry was thinking of the knife as well. Lysander recognized this as his 'brooding' face, a trance reserved only for himself as Harry babbles on about the unjust of life, hating on Voldemort, and spurts out good life philosophies too. Unfortunately, being locked up by Fred and George Weasley was not the right time to do so.

"I need a little help!" Lily whined as she tried to reach for a box. Lysander easily grabbed it and settled it down, but instead of a reply, he got a glare.

"What?" Girls were weird, he was lucky that Rose was not as high maintenance.

Of course, Rose was dating Scorpius, so now Lysander was scowling as well.

"Gosh Lysander." Lily rolled her still blue eyes, "You've got to get a girlfriend."

At any other girl commenting on that, Lysander would've turned beet red from just thinking about it, but Lily was practically a little sister that he even got a little annoyed. He punched her shoulder and started going through the boxes again. Harry was still brooding in the corner, facing the corner actually.

"What are we looking for again?" Lysander asked. He had found a stack of _Invisibility Hats, _but nothing that would get them out of the storage closet.

"Anything heavy." Lily replied, "I'm going to try and charm it to slam into the door. I bet that Fred and George didn't think we'd use brutal force."

Lily was the queen of thinking differently than others, so Lysander didn't correct her method. Instead he found a box of bowling balls for some reason, and Lily thought they might work.

"_Wingardium Leviosa." _She whispered, waved her wand and a loud slam broke the lock to a million pieces, as the remains of the bowling ball scattered around them.

"You think we'll wake them up?" Lily asked warily.

Harry came back to the world from his brood and shrugged, "Fred and George can sleep through just about anything."

They crept away from the room and made it past the front of the store, and out into the cold January air of Diagon Alley. It was more than a bowling ball that was shattered, but their sense of safety as well.

"Gringotts' closed." Lily sighed, looking at the white marble building at the end of the row. Without the usual candle light that engulfed Diagon Alley, the goblin bank looked eerie and cold, instead of the warm and grand feel it usually gave off. It sort of reminded Lysander of Azkaban, and reminded him that they were trapped _out, _and away from that piece of Voldemort's soul that they desperately needed.

"Let's go." Harry tugged at the ginger girl's sleeves, now Lily had returned to her normal attributes as they've escaped Fred and George's store. Lysander figured that Lily didn't want the two to see how much she looked like Ginny. Harry she might be able to sort of fool, but not the youngest Weasley girls' two closest brothers.

"Right." Lily hiccupped, maybe she was looking at Gringotts the same way Lysander did, "We need to apparate back to the campsite, and…"

They never got to figure out what rest of Lily's plans was, because at that moment, a gleam of blue caught Lysander's eyes as he walked away. There was a flash of blonde in the nook of the alleyway as Lysander edged towards it, he revealed to find…

"Ron, Scorpius, HERMIONE?"

Lysander was shocked. Not only were they healthy and whole, but they were there, even Hermione, who had an exhilarated expression upon her face framed with that familiar bushy hair, but she was smiling.

"Lysander." Scorpius mocked the other blonde boy, and stepped into the street, greeting a shell shocked Lily and Harry, "I thought this might be a trap, but of course, your surprised look dismissed it, only you could look that stupid."

Lysander glared, but Lily was smiling like it was Christmas, "Scorpius! Ron!" She tackled both of them in a hug like they were chocolate frostings. Both Ron and Scorpius awkwardly patted Lily on the back.

"Wait!" Harry still had his wand out and pointed it at his best friend, "We have to test them, to make sure that they're not…"

"Fake?" Ron croaked, "Mate, come on!"

"What's Ronald Weasley's favourite Quidditch team?" Harry demanded. It seemed sort of silly, but Ron swallowed like he was asked to recite the digits of pi to its 20th place.

"Chudley Cannons!" He said, "Now will you point that away from my face?"

Harry cracked a smile, probably from seeing his best mate in so long, but small since he still remembered the reason that he was gone. The reason was standing right behind them.

"Hermione Granger, daughter of Mary and John Granger, both dentist, and was put under a spell to forget their daughter, me, and sent to live in Australia. I enjoy studying, bantering with Ron, and reading books." Hermione rattled off facts like she was _Flourish and Blotts, _and then smiled that kilowatt smile, "HARRY!"

They embraced and Ron awkwardly coughed, but Lysander wasn't going to let this go as easily as everyone else. The six may be back together and they might have all been healthy and safe and _alive, _but there was still the question of where the bloody hell where they in the past few weeks.

When Lysander voiced it though, surprisingly it was Scorpius who spoke up, "It's a long story, mate." He said the last syllable sarcastically, because they weren't really mates, and launched into their story.

* * *

_If Lysander ever dared to make fun of Scorpius for being a spoiled rich kid, he swore he'll hex him into the next century._

_Being on the run with Ron wasn't the most fun thing to do, without the distractions of bantering with Lysander or talking strategies with Lily, he was left with jumping at every resemblance Ron had to his daughter, Rose. They had been to Shell Cottage, The Burrow (under heavy disguise as confused Muggle mailmen), Aunt Muriel's House, and several other Order related dwellings. Most empty, and some were too heavily guarded for two teenage boys to penetrate. They risked sending a message to the Weasleys, and got back a hazy reply saying that everyone was fine, how fine was the question though._

_Finally, they managed to find some luck by Christmas near London. They weren't sure why, but the two boys made their way to 12 Grimmauld Place for December 25__th__. It was heavily guarded by Death Eaters, both regular and cult members, and they were sure they could hear the sound of Kreacher yelping somewhere in there. He couldn't reveal Order secret for obvious reasons, but they were close to torturing it out of him, that's for sure. Scorpius winced as a particularly gruesome groan ran out, and was blessing the Muggles nearby that they couldn't hear anything. Unlike his family, Scorpius actually applauded Muggles. They lived so happily and functional without magic, and somehow, they even manage to stay out of this war for the most parts._

_They were naïve, and Scorpius envied them._

_Him and Ron stayed by the park near Grimmauld Place, staring at the grim and dusty place they called home for a few days. Scorpius remembered visiting Al there for holidays, the hesitant looks he got from Mr. and Mrs. Potter, though warmed up over the time, and the disapproving looks from his grandfather, Lucius Malfoy, whenever he got home to his large but empty manor. Before 7__th__ year, his main reason going there was the possibility of running into Rose, after 7__th__ year…there really wasn't any reason to go back at all, not even for James and Lily, who resembled too closely with Al._

_But it was still familiar, almost like his house despite the short amount of time he spent in it. The ground floor with its dusty kitchen that Mrs. Potter tried the hardest to brighten up with various flowers, the mysterious mumbles he heard from behind shut tapestries. First floor where Lily had her bedroom, and second floor where he spent load of time with the boys, Al and James, doing random stuff that blew up half of the stairs once. He chuckled at that memory. He never really understood why the Potters lived in such a tiny little place, when they could have afforded a manor like the Malfoys, or, although his dad hate to admitted, even something bigger and grander, but Al explained it had sentimental reasons, which Scorpius didn't understand until he bought Rose a pair of flower earrings for their one year anniversary, despite the fact that Rose didn't like flowers all too much (ironic, she rather preferred books but Scorpius wasn't sure which one she haven't read yet), she kept it and wore it for a long time._

_Was she wearing it now? Scorpius couldn't remember. They had still been fighting when the mission started, now, four month later and haven't even had contact; he couldn't even remember why they were fighting in the first place._

"_I give up." Ron had said the night they were stalking Grimmauld Place, "I have absolutely no idea where 'Mione could be." He looked so heartbroken that he couldn't be with the girl he loved that Scorpius was startled he had anything in common with Ron Weasley, "She's not dead though, you don't think?"_

"_Of course not." Scorpius replied, because he'll know if Hermione was dead, partially because he won't be pining over Rose anymore._

_They had found a clue though, at Grimmauld Place, it was lucky that Ron happened to forget the roll of sleeping bag at camp, and an hour later when he emerged from the park, he held up a roll of wool that looked lumpy and dirty, with a bright smile on his face that looked as if he won a million dollars._

"_Hermione's jumper!" He smiled burned, "She's been here!"_

_A lot to go on based on a jumper, they can only analysed that she had been through quite a bit to escape the Death Eaters, been to loads of places, and maybe went on a trek in the Sahara desert for the jumper provided. The only thing they found that could be possibly of use was a piece of paper. They now know she's been after the Horcruxes though, because on the paper were scribbles with all the possible Horcrux locations, which instantly made Ron left terrible and immediately back on track in finding Harry, and apologizing, something they wanted to do from day 1 but didn't have the guts to admit until recently._

_They scanned the list, there were a lot of possibilities and Scorpius didn't even know half of the places. They chose Diagon Alley next because Bill and Fleur had mentioned Fred and George were stationed there, and if Hermione or Harry was there, they'll know._

_They arrived shortly, as Ron swore when he bump into the wall face-flat and Scorpius did his best not to laugh, it was not the most desirable circumstances, but it hasn't been for so long and at least now their spirits were up a little. They scored over the whole place and stayed in the depth. Ron still hasn't resorted to Fred and George yet, because who knows how they'll react? They stole from the Leaky Cauldron and slept in the nook of Knockturn Alley, it was a terrible living, more so than when they were camped out in the fields, at least it was more open out there._

_All the happiness from finding the jumper was gone, and Scorpius didn't have that much of happiness to begin with, it was just a jumper. Worse, Ron had gotten into a fight with a Voldemort supporter in Knockturn Alley, and had gotten a scar across his arm for it. They had lost another day of searching because of that._

_Then, a few days after New Year, their luck changed completely again when they searched the back of Gringotts, when a familiar bushy brown hair girl had been doing the same thing._

"_Hermione?"_

_They found her, scorched and shivering and probably been eating like the rats, but they found her, safe and whole. Scorpius can't help but to hug the girl as well, partially because Rose had her nose. Ron glared at him and he backed off, because now this was getting sort of awkward._

_They had a billion questions, and so did Hermione, who looked like she could kiss the both of them in the heat of the moment, but she was logical and rational Hermione (like _her)_, who never get caught up in the moment. She wore a bright smile though, all of them did, that did not leave their face for the rest of the day, except maybe Scorpius, because he was feeling third-wheel-ish, but he didn't say anything to the happily reunited couple._

"_Where have you been?" Ron demanded once they've all hugged and stuff._

_Hermione sighed, "So many places, Gordric's Hollow, Lovegoods', and I've just came from raiding the Gringotts for this!"_

_She held a golden cup in her hand, gleaming evilly in the moonlight and bore a devilish honey badger upon it. Hufflepuff's Cup._

"_You raided Gringotts?" Ron asked with all kinds of awe in his house, "But…what…how?"_

_Hermione made a face, "There were a lot of hexing involved, which I put a Goblin under an imperio curse three time, I don't really want to talk about it."_

_So they didn't, because she just came from the raid, evidentially, and putting someone under the imperio curse, even a goblin, was a huge pressure and Hermione was shuddering even though it happened such a long time ago._

_It didn't matter, they were together and now with the smarts of Hermione, they can find Harry and the rest of the them, the mission can go back to normal, and they can find the Diadem, the Snake, and the rest of the Horcruxes and whatever and slay Voldemort. Scorpius was sure of it._

_Then they heard voices…_

* * *

"…And that's where you come in." Scorpius trailed off, "We found you guys, and the end."

There were a lot of stuff missing, like Hermione's disappearance, but at least it explained the gleaming golden cup that Hermione coolly held in her hand, at arm length.

"Hufflepuff's Cup." Lily said in awe, and reached to touch it. It looked, sounded, smelled, felt, and probably even tasted evil, but it was there, and they were one step closer.

"Now we just need a way to destroy it." Hermione sighed. Harry, Lysander and Lily exchanged a glance. They just happen to have one of the only weapon in the world that can destroy a Horcrux, everything was _finally, _finally, finally going right that it was a little scary.

"I guess now it's our turn." Lily sighed, pulling out the gleaming silver Sword of Gryffindor as it was the other trio's turn to look shocked, "It's a long story, _mate._"

* * *

January **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"What about Rose?"

Aly doesn't know about any other person, but when their best friend is looking upset and talking about their sister, it worries Aly, and since Hugo is her only best friend, and Rose is the only sister, it concerned Aly in every way.

"She…" Hugo opened her mouth to explain, but was interrupted by the sound of two people bickering.

"You haven't been the same since you came back! There's something you're not telling me!"

"I've told you everything Neville; I don't know how I got back!"

"I never keep any secret from you!"

"Yeah? What about you and Luna, that's a pretty big secret!"

"Luna isn't part of this!"

"I think it is! You like her and you know it!"

"It's not about Luna, Hannah!"

"When it comes to you, everything's about Luna!"

Aly whipped her head at the noise and her heart leaped. Her parents, at each other's throat like the way Aly had always remembered them. All the false happiness she felt in the past was gone, as she flashed back to the 13 year old Aly, standing at her parent' door and watching their last fight breaking out. It was almost exactly the same, except it hadn't been about Luna or secrets, but something trivial, probably. Aly thought it'd be like any other fight they have, they'll make up and eat chocolate later, but no, that time daddy left and never came back.

She was frozen on the spot until Hugo pushed her past the corridor. They turned a corner and, with their back against the wall in a spy like manner, listen in guilty on their conversation. Aly felt tears in her eyes, but willed her not to cry. This wasn't like when she was 13. Their fight is a good thing, just one more step in uniting Neville and Luna, and what Ella said about time travelling and things working out…

"Aly?" Hugo was the perfectly concerned best friend, "Aly are you alright?"

"Peachy." She managed a syllable out, "We've…I've…they've." She tried to explain her meeting with Ella, but Hugo was distracted, "Just tell me about Rose first." It was easier not to talk about her own problems right now, not when her parents on the other side of the wall, bickering like they use too and making Aly's brain go crazy haywire.

"_Rose_." Hugo said that name bitterly, like the say he might say _Snape, _or _James' Pranks_, not at all like he's saying her sister's name, "She-"

Interrupted again by a different blonde, "What's up?" Luna's dreamy voice floated into the conversation, she was wearing her Ravenclaw uniform with an easy elegance that Aly had always wanted. Maybe she'll get that when she does this one, last, thing.

"Hannah and Neville are fighting on the other side." Aly ratted out her parents quickly, "It's pretty serious."

Luna's features were unreadable, she didn't get fazed often and right now Aly sort of cursed it, "They're not going to break up." Her voice broke a little and Aly smiled at her success. So Luna did like Neville, and everything was going to work out and.

"Of course not!" Hugo smiled uneasily, Aly remembered what her best friend said a long time ago, when Aly first thought about getting the couple together and realized that Hugo didn't speak to Ella, which meant he still think that Aly might die.

But she wasn't going to, her smile shone bright despite all the chaos as she grinned at Luna, "I think you should talk to Neville after this!"

Hugo looked at her as if she was crazy, she couldn't blame him; she _did_ sound crazy; especially to someone who hasn't talked to Ella yet. This was going to work out, she was going to live and everyone will get their happy ending this way, she just have to send a mind message to Hugo somehow, telling him that everything was fine and he should stop being stressed out.

The shouting ceased on the other side as Hannah stomped into the corridor where Luna, Aly, and Hugo were, with a pointed glare at Luna, the blonde girl stalked off crying.

"Did they just break up?" Hugo looked pale, paler than Aly had been feeling for the last few days, but she based though on nerves, yes, she was just nervous over the whole thing, and now that she knew she had nothing to worry about, the healthy glow will return to her soon.

"I think so." Aly said cheerfully, "Go on Luna, talk to Neville, I'm sure he could use a friend right now."

Shrugging, the Ravenclaw skipped upon her way and they could distinctively hear friendly chatter, oppose to Hannah and Neville's loud clashes a moment ago. This was the right balance; Aly could feel it…sort of.

"Are you out of you mind?" Hugo bellowed. Right, there was the brunette boy to talk care off, "That's crazy, telling Luna to go see Neville right after the breakup. You're going to get yourself killed over this whole thing!"

"I know what I'm doing Hugo!" Aly said, pulling herself up to full strength, but she was still half a foot shorter than him, ahh well, "I talk to this ghost-time-traveler person, Ella Gardner, and she said something about time traveling that I think will-"

"Why would you do that?" Hugo yelled, "What were you thinking? If they get together you're going to die Aly! D.I.E! I don't know about you but I like to keep you living!"

"It's fine!" Aly was yelling on top of him now. How ironic that it reminded Aly of her own parents a little, never mind, it would all make sense in a while. She could see from the corner of her eyes now that Neville and Luna were moving closer. Then they would kiss and get together and get married and have children, Aly.

"It's not fine!" Hugo yelped, "I'm putting a stop to this, and if you're smart, you'll agree with me!"

"I am smart!" Aly shouted again, "I just talked to Ella, and she thinks that there might be a chance that Luna can be my mother like this, don't you get it? This way everyone can be happy!"

She was going crazy right now. She believed in her idea of happy endings so much that her stomach was churning. Exciting energy she told herself, and waved off the uncomfortable fever she was gaining. It _has _to work, no, it was going to work. Hugo just didn't understand because he didn't talk to Ella, she did, and she knew everything is going to work out fine no matter what. Neville and Luna were true loves, like Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione, and Hannah will find her somebody and everything will be peachy and awesome and amazing.

Then why did she feel like throwing up?

"Aly?" Hugo looked a little concerned.

"I'm fine!" She snapped again, but she didn't feel quite fine. When people are fine, do they feel like they have a massive headache and that their fingers were numb and their vision was going black? They must feel like that because everything _was_ fine, it _had_ to be fine.

Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Neville and Luna embrace, a warm fuzzy feeling of happiness from seeing her father being happy was shortly replaced by something gut wrenching, like someone was sticking a knife into her waist.

"Aly?" Hugo sounded scared now, "Just hang in there, I-I'll figure something out." He looked over his shoulder where Neville and Luna were, happily and perfectly together, then back at his best friend, who was growing transparent by the minute, "It'll be fine."

Aly swallowed, even that take so much effort now, _Ella was wrong…_she had counted so much on an idea that she didn't even see all…all this coming. Why didn't she take another walk by the grounds with Hugo? Or read another book in the library? Or talked to her father one last time? There was so many things that she wished she could do, but because of a fatal mistake, she couldn't.

This wasn't the way most normal people died, that's for sure, because normal people don't feel life being wrestled from them. Whatever Aly was, she was still living, because if Hugo right now was to slap Luna dead and make Hannah make up to Neville, she would be alright, but she didn't want that.

The way Neville looked at Luna…the way he _never _looked at her mom.

She had been crazy listening to that ghost, or maybe Ella was crazy for saying it, but either way, Aly didn't regret it. It had to be done. She wasn't sure why Harry had chosen the other six on this mission, but it was clear that this part _was for her. _She lived a good life, and even if people might not remember her, her influence was still there.

She didn't regret it, but there was one last thing she had to do.

"Don't break them up Hugo." Aly could barely get the words out, but she managed, "Promise me, they're happy together and that's _all _it matters."

Her head felt dizzy, making Hugo promise this was one of the steps required to ensure that Neville and Luna will never get back together. He'll find a clever way, somehow, to trick them into unhappy marriage or something, if she didn't stop him here, "They deserve each other."

Hugo shed tears, which shocked Aly a bit if she wasn't dying. Hugo _never _cried, "Don't, Aly, I _need _you, especially now, Rose, and…" he swallowed, "Please."

He was begging for her to stay alive, but even a task that simple was incredibly hard, "Just promise." She told me, "_please_."

That word might have had an effect on Hugo, but she couldn't tell, her eyes were blacking out and the last thing she saw was her own transparent hands and Hugo's blue eyes pleading, "Goodbye Hugo."

Then nothing.

* * *

Hugo felt numb.

One minute she was there, and the next…nothing.

She's gone.

He still remembers her, which was what makes it a whole lot worse.

He remembered the weirdest things, always beating her at chess, sometimes letting her win, the grin she have when she does, and the hug she gave him after.

It would be easier to forget.

"Hugo!" He heard someone calling after him, he briefing register it as his _sister, _the sister he was angry at, but he was still numb.

She's gone.

Rose hugged him, she was smart and she would instantly figure out what's wrong. Maybe it was by the way Neville and Luna, now tauntingly laughing as they head off to lunch _together, _not even noticing the people they left behind, or maybe she notice the blank look on his face and her sisterly instincts kicked in.

"I'm sorry."

But it wasn't _her _fault.

She's gone.

He allowed Rose to hug him, no matter how angry he was at her, because they were still family, and right now, Rose was the only person he had left.

She left him.

She's gone.

* * *

**Yes, Aly is dead**

**No, it doesn't mean we won't ever see her again, we definitely will see Aly, somehow, but she's dead**

**No Ella isn't evil, she's just misguided and completely crazy**

**Yes, Rose actually betrayed them**

**Yes, Hermione, Ron and Scorpius is back**

**Yes, I am very excited for the next chapter**

**Yes, James will be make soon**

**Does that answer everything? I hope, well, review anyways!**

**ON WARDS!**

**EmpressPyrus: **Lily obviously heard a lot about Fred. Yes, they are super hilarious and guess what? THEY DON'T DIE! I don't even know any Ella or Gardner and it came to me in a dream, so shut up

**A.L. Kingsley**: yes, Ella is all in good fun, but she's not evil. I love her and this will NOT BE THE LAST TIME YOU SEE HER! Be prepared for onwards.

**LilyLuna123**: FRED AND GEORGE FRED AND GEORGE!

**Unfortunately I don't have a lot of room to put F and G in, so it will be a while before you see them again. SO MANY GREAT CHARACTERS AND STUFF YET SO LITTLE SPACE TO PUT THEM ALL IN! I tried to add Dobby but it didn't work :( At least he's not dead :)**

**Ya...lots of people are not dead as they are in the book, but I killed bunch of people as well, I see a balance in this...**

**PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ ****PLEASE READ PLEASE READ**

**********************************************************As you all know, I am terrible with summaries, and since this is a time traveling story, it has to sound EXTRA COOL! Right? Because all of the time travelling stories get shut to the side because of their reputation, but I feel like I did alright...**

**********************************************************Maybe?**

**********************************************************Please?**

**********************************************************So ya, I'm holding a Summary Contest, and please send YOUR SUMMARY in the reviews in the NEXT CHAPTER! Which will have the title "Summary Contest" as the chapter name so it won't be mixed up. PLEASE REVIEW IN THE NEXT CHAPER SO IT WON'T BE WEIRD AND STUFF!**

**********************************************************Deadline? Prizes? Well, the deadline is quite flexible, I'm aiming the end of May when maybe 2 or 3 more chapters will be out, so let's just say May 31st for now.**

**Restrictions? Nope, submit as many summaries as you'd like, but if there are any repeats, no matter how good it is, I can't use it without starting a war. SO PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY REPEATS! From other people's ideas or from other fandoms. Feel free to use quotes from the story if it seems relevant to the summary, I think that's a cool idea. AND MAKE IT SORT OF GENERAL! Just so it's not exclusively a Scorose or Potter kid fanfic, because this is about EVERYONE!**

**Prizes? Well...I've been having trouble coming up with this, but I figure that a good prize could be some of the following:**

**1. Helping me name one or more of my OCs, which means you'll get to see the later plot based on the character**

**2. Preview of a chapter: I'll write it and you can read it like a week earlier than everyone else! Cool?**

**So ya! Come up with an awesome summary by May 31st, and if I like it enough, you can win the awesome prizes as stated above! YAAA!**

**Yup.**

**So enter, and remember to enter at the NEXT CHAPTER! TITLED 'SUMMARY CONTEST'!**

**~Lilies**

**P.S. James says hi from wherever he is.**


	16. XV: Time Of Your Life

**Hey y'all, doing great on the Summary contest thing. Remember, only 9 days left!**

**As for the story, well, heh, TIME SKIP! It's random, I know, but It's sort of necessary because of reasons that probably sound stupid. Anyways, thanks a ton for all your reviews and summaries. The deadline for submission is MAY 31ST! Remember! The winner will be announced on the next chapter after May 31st, k?**

**Any-who, I'm working on the one-shot that is the prize for the summary, and spoil alert! It's from James' P.O.V, telling us where the hell he was for the past months. I'll be uploading it a week after the winner is announced, and boy is it exciting!**

**ON TO THE STORY!**

**~Lilies**

* * *

_3 Months Later_

* * *

**Team Status**

**A. Longbottom (a/n I know, I know...)**

**S. Malfoy** – Hogsmeade

**L. Potter** – Hogsmeade

**J. Potter** – Unknown

**L. Scamander **– Hogsmeade

**R. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**H. Weasley** – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

April **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

As far as Rose remembered it, Hogwarts had never been quiet. It had been exciting, vibrant, colorful, and on the other end, mysterious, dark, and ominous as of late, but never exactly quiet.

Still, the effect of Aly's death lingered on, even after three harsh months, and seemed to project through the entire student body, the Gryffindors at least. They hadn't forgotten her, for some reason miraculously, but Aly was so quiet that no one really noticed her, except for Neville, Luna and Ginny.

The first time they asked Rose what happened, she was still in shock. Hadn't she warned that girl about the rules of time travelling when Aly had told her father about the Sword of Gryffindor? She thought that the brunette would be safe with Hugo, who cared for her so much that she was sure nothing could ever happen. No, Hugo couldn't prevent Aly from seeing this mysterious spirit/ghost thing that claimed it had come from the future as well, Emma what's-her-face. She didn't believe it for a second, but Aly had to believe it, and the price, her life?

How could she believe such a ridiculous thing? How could she leave Rose and Hugo in such a state, so distraught that they can barely remember the reason they were in the 20th century in the first place.

Even after she screwed up a million times, Aly was still part of the mission, and now, they'll have to go home without her.

Will they remember her? Aly? In the future when Neville and Luna get married, will they be shocked to find their daughter or son to look similar to the brunette girl? What about Hannah? What will be of her fate? Aly really screwed up royally this time, Rose didn't even know what kind of future she would be returning to now.

"She's gone." She had simply told Neville and Luna when they asked. Now a happy couple. It was the kind of relationship that you look fondly from afar and squeal at their cuteness, but it's essentially a weird one once you get up close and actually has a conversation with them. Rose didn't mind though, spending less time with Neville and Luna, the couple, makes her think of her own sort-of-still-boyfriend somewhere with Lily, less.

Neville and Luna grieved, but she got the feeling that Aly was fading from everyone's memories so quickly that they were starting to forget her too, thus numbing the pain, a pleasure Rose and Hugo didn't get, knowing her for so long.

"_It is dangerous, and the risks of time travelling are very great." _Harry had said days before their mission, _"but it is very important that you seven are to complete this task."_

Seven, now down to six, and maybe two since Rose couldn't communicate to Lily. She had spent three months making excuses to Snape, but she couldn't keep this up for much longer. Her tracker was perfectly completed, that she almost fully activate it and found Lily's location just yesterday, before she freaked out and dropped it on the girl's dormitory. That got her an extension of two days, but Rose knew Snape's patience won't hold.

_He's a good guy_, she reasoned with herself, _he wouldn't use it to find Harry and kill him, just to further protect him like Dumbledore told him to_.

Part of her is still hesitant, because she knew Snape was the one who told Voldemort of the prophecy that landed in the death of so many people, including Lily and James Potter, and her own uncle Fred. Well, Fred may still live, but the destruction is still plenty, even as she thought.

"Hey." Hugo's voice came from her left, "The Hogwarts Express came for the Easter trip home."

Their relationship sort of repaired down to a tolerable. They were still on a mission, and as much as Rose tried to explain that Snape was a good guy, Hugo was sort of a black and white person. Either you're a Death Eater or you're not, and Snape didn't really have a good track record. Plus he was a Slytherin, and Hugo's got that trait from their dad when it came to house prejudice.

"Okay then."

"Ginny left."

"Alright."

They didn't bother to stop Aunt Ginny from returning home to the Weasleys. She had left with Neville and Luna, and between the three of them, they should be alright against Dementors, Rose hoped. She didn't know what happened with Harry outside, but she gets the feelings that they were _mad. _Hopefully Ginny can fend herself; besides, they couldn't exactly leave Hogwarts and live on the streets.

This mission was unravelling faster than a cat playing with a ball of yarn.

"What are we supposed to do Hugo?" she yelled in frustration, "We just let the three people we're supposed to protect leave on a train, towards people who are potentially going to slaughter them to death, or use them as blackmail to hurt Harry!" What were they doing here? Rose had always ignored the crucial facts and focused on the mission, but the crucial fact was that they are teenagers. How could they possibly do this? They aren't doing this! "I feel terrible at my job."

Hugo stayed silent, and when he spoke, Rose wished that he didn't, "Maybe if you stop going around and double crossing everyone, things would go a lot smoother."

She looked up from her hands, "What?"

"You heard me." His face without emotion, like the last couple of month they scarcely spoke and blamed it on Aly's disappearance, "Stop double crossing everyone. I know you've completed the tracker and have a time limit to give it in." Rose opened her mouth in protest but Hugo shut her down, since when had he become the stronger one? "But don't, they'll find Uncle Harry, and it _won't _be pretty."

"I can't just refuse Snape." Rose exclaimed, "I-I'm scared." She admitted.

The roles are reversed. To answer her own question earlier, Hugo had become the stronger one as soon as Rose betrayed his fragile trust. Then Aly died and Hugo was left with no one. She couldn't believe she did that to her own brother.

"I'm scared." She admitted again.

"Don't be." Emotionless and cold, Hugo sat up and walked away.

Could she really do that? Triple-cross Snape? He couldn't kill her, right? Rose cursed, if she was Lily, or Aly, or even Hugo, she would selflessly give into it and destroy all evidence of the tracker without hesitation, even at her own consequence. She wasn't selfless like that; no hero complex and no compel to help everyone. At the end of the day, all she's really worried about was her own selfish things.

But one of them is Hugo.

And Aly died, he has _no one _left. If she won't do it for herself, Rose has to destroy it for Hugo. She owes him so much. Even if he doesn't know, not turning his back and completely ignoring Rose for the past three months was pretty much the only reason she lived, in essence.

She'll destroy it, she promised herself. She'll march right up to her dorm and set fire on all her records, smash the prototype into a million pieces using the every destruction spell she knows, and then, she'll tell Snape that she doesn't work for him anymore.

She owes it to Hugo.

* * *

There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river, too deep to wade through, and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands, and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it, when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure, and it was Death. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for being clever enough to evade him.

So, the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. A wand that must always win battles for its owner. A wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death. So, Death had crossed to an Elder Tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that had hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.

Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So, Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.

Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And so it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.

In due course, the brothers separated, each for his own destination. The first brother travelled for a week or more, and, reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard, with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted of the powerful wand which he had snatched from Death himself and of how it made him invincible. That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay wine-sodden upon his bed. The thief took the wand, and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so, Death took the first brother for his own.

Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here, he took out the stone which had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as though by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there, and suffered. Finally, the second brother, driven mad by hopeless longing, killed himself, so as to truly join her. And so, Death took the second brother for his own.

But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility, and gave it to his son. And then, he greeted Death as an old friend, went with him gladly, and, as equals, they departed this life.

* * *

April **Year 1998 **Forest in Britain

* * *

"And thus was the Tale of the Three Brothers."

It had been three long months since Hermione had reunited with her group. She was exhilarated to have survived the ambush by the Death Cult, not to mention Bellatrix Lestrange. The Gryffindor girl barely escaped (with the help of a mysterious figure, she wasn't quite sure who), and began on her journey to find the other two. Her first instinct was to continue the Horcrux Hunt, as she was sure the other two wouldn't abandon their mission just to look for her.

Apparently Ron did, and although she was furious with him for abandoning Harry in the hands of two newbies ("But they are trusted!" Ron had protested), she felt a little warm that Ron wanted to look for _her_. He was so incredibly thick sometimes that Hermione wondered how he could past the OWLs, but it was little moments like that which Hermione was glad to have a…friend like him.

"Remind me why we have to hear that story again?" Ron complained. He was a pure-blood, and having been brought up in the wizard family, he had heard this story many times over. Lacey, Sam, and Lenny had been familiar with it as well, but Harry had no idea what it was.

"I went to visit the Lovegoods around Christmas time." Hermione answered, sitting down next to them at a new campsite, which she carefully and obsessively put protection charm over, shuddering to think the last time they broke through the barrier. They were _this _close to getting a secret keeper, but it was quite an extensive charm that can take up to hours to finish, they decided it wasn't really worth it. "Remember Harry saw Xenopilius Lovegood wearing that symbol around his neck at the wedding?"

The Deathly Hallow sign, she had been told, and although Xenopilius was a nut case (worse than Luna, without the sweetness, he nearly tried to trap Hermione), she felt it was necessary to share this story with the others, "It's a children's story that was meant to scare kids into behaving, or something, like 'don't go poking at dangerous things', or 'be cautious with gifts' and stuff like that."

Lacey coughed, and looked a little torn. Hermione stared at the ginger girl for a second. She looked so familiar that Hermione could almost grasp it, but then Lacey turned her green eyes on the brunette girl and she was forced to turn away.

"Is there something you'd like to say Lacey?" she asked the younger girl. Honestly, Hermione still didn't trust the new kids, they've kept Harry alive for a while, supposedly that was honorable, and they had been travelling for 3 months together and so far didn't try to kill the lot or hand them over to the Death Eaters, but still, Hermione can't shake the idea that they were trying to keep something from her.

"You should be more open-minded about things like this Hermione." She smiled cryptically, like she knew something that Hermione didn't. Obviously, they came from the future, but Hermione was still fuming at the fact that they are more knowledgeable than her.

"I suppose the story is true then." She huffed, "There really is an Elder Wand, and a Cloak of Invisibility, and a Resurrection Stone. That this was all real and now we've got to abandon our hunt to look for it?"

Lacey looked at her two companions for help, but the two boys were too busy glaring at each other to notice, "Lenny, Sam!" She snapped.

"What?" They said in unison, and then glared at each other again. Hermione wonder what on Earth could cause such a rift between two boys. She saw it with Ron and Harry, jealousy, mainly, and the occasional fight over Quidditch, but nothing this serious.

"Little help here?" She sighed, and then turned her furiously familiar green eyes upon Hermione since Lenny and Sam decided this would be the perfect moment to ignore their younger friend.

"Is it true?" Hermione challenged.

"It is true, but we don't have to go all across the world looking for it."

Hermione crossed her arms, why can't time travelers be a little more explicit? Then the logical side took over because she _was _Hermione, they couldn't afford to spoil the future too much, "What does that mean?"

Lacey smiled, a bit proudly, sadly, and smugly all together, "Because we've already got two."

* * *

April **Year 1998 **Hogsmeade

* * *

Lily's idea was crazy.

At this moment, the true master of the Elder Wand is Draco Malfoy, who is studying at Hogwarts just this moment. For their plan to work, they had to go to Hogsmeade, try to sneak into Hogwarts _again, _and win a duel against the Malfoy boy.

Nearly impossible.

They made contact with Aberforth, who reluctantly agreed to help them with the Ariana Passage again, but they've still got to get into Hogwarts and find Draco, and since he'll be surrounded by his Slytherin buddies, it'll be hard to even get close to him.

Her idea was crazy.

Yet, somehow, someway, the six all agreed to it, even the reluctant Hermione, who Lily sensed didn't trust her all that much. Now they were entering Hogsmeade once more, but she was prepared for the sight of destruction this time. Dementors were floating about the Hogwarts castle afar, preventing anyone from stepping an inch in or out of the school ground, but they couldn't see, or sense, the six's presence just yet.

"It's not safe to be out in daylight." She didn't blame Hermione for being paranoid to be kidnapped again; it couldn't have been fun to be under the custody of the Death Eaters. As far as Lily is concern, she escaped, probably with the help of James, but they couldn't know that just yet, or ever.

"We're under disguises." She pointed to her straight platinum blonde hair again. Lysander, Scorpius, and Ron brunette, and Hermione blonde as well. Harry is hiding under the invisibility cloak as they wanted to avoid the 'Fred and George' incident again.

"Still…" Hermione mumbled and played with the string on her purse, something Lily find her to do very often nowadays. Maybe she was still traumatized by the kidnapping by Bellatrix Lestrange. She wouldn't have let the Gryffindor girl go so easily, even with James' inside help.

"So now we go to Aberforth's." Lily breathed, "And we see if we can get the passage open again, then we have to somehow find Draco, and then…"

Her senses started tingling, something was off about Hogsmeade. It was unusually quiet, especially for mid-day. Even with the Dementors lurking around, there should still be a small crowd. Instead, the streets are completely empty, and as the sun shining over head the castle, Lily felt nauseous at the sight of the bright yellow star. It was so quiet, and the others noticed it too.

"It's a trap." Hermione instinctively reached for her wand, as they gathered closer and tighter, as if it will help them survive, "They knew we were coming somehow, the Death Eaters."

No, the Death Eaters left a mark of terror and eerie, but it was simply deserted, as if someone asked them all very nicely to leave, or use of the _Confundos_ spell. Death Eaters don't do _Confundos._

Not unless they are very stupid.

"James." She muttered underneath her breath. Her brother was here and it was not as a pleasant surprise as she would've liked.

* * *

**THE END**!

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**Just kidding, I'm feeling nice today...**

* * *

Suddenly, a spark came from behind her as she saw Harry quickly block the spell. Purple and possibly fatal, she cursed underneath her breath to help her teenager father, but there was no need. Harry was in quick combat with the masked man and is at upper hand. James really needed to work out more.

A wand soar through the air and landed in Harry's hands, signally the end of the duel and his won, "Come on you coward!" he called, now completely uncovered by the cloak and visibly in bright day light, Hermione looked frightened for his life.

"Sorry." The stupid familiar voice rang and Lily sighed in peace, it _was _him, "I don't see a coward anywhere."

James stepped into the light looking very dashing and very slap-able, with that stupid smirk that took everyone, even Scorpius and Lenny, off guard. Lily tried to look surprised too, but it was no use as he was stepping towards them, "Nice to see you again sis."

"That's your brother?" Hermione questioned, her hair now fading darker in caution, "Are you sure Lacey?"

James raised an eyebrow, but Lily went along with it, "Yes, _Jason, _my brother." He smiled charmingly towards Hermione, who looked more confused than anything else.

"You never told us you had a brother!" She accused. Great, just what Lily was trying to avoid. Now Hermione had more reason to distrust her, as if being a time traveler wasn't bad enough. She sent a mental message towards James to go along with whatever she's saying.

"That's because I didn't know he was coming." Lily hissed, "It is totally a surprise and I really want to kick him right now."

James fake pouted, Hermione real pouted.

"It's interesting that you know so much about our lives, _Lacey, _but we hardly know anything about yours!" She looked fierce, like she was about to start a charms research project or something, "Care to share?"

The boys stared incredulously at the lot of them.

"That's easy." James started, "My name is Jason, that's Lacey, we're sent to an orphanage at a young age because our parents died and we were adopted by Aurors, who introduced us to the Wizarding world. We've been going to Hogwarts, when I graduated I landed a job in the Ministry, but of course I wouldn't let sweet _Lacey _here be part of the danger, or come this mission, I was supposed to go, but that sneaky little thing went past me and disappeared. So I showed up a few months late and joined the party." He said in one long breath, living all of the rest confused, "Good? Good? We're good."

Say what you want about James, he's very good at making people speechless. Hermione gaped at him like a fish and did not recover for a whole minute. He looked very pleased at himself.

"Jason." Harry was the first to speak, "Nice to meet you?" The awkwardness of this situation was piling off of Lily's skin, but part of it realized that they were still out in bright day light in Hogsmeade, and Harry wasn't cloaked, it is potentially very dangerous and they all could die at any moment if a real Death Eater started to come in.

"We should get going." Lily began again, she wasn't about to let her brother's entrance into the quest affect the balance. She was still in charge, because he didn't bother to show up for eight months and couldn't just take over right now.

"I completely agree." He stuck out his tongue, but before either of them can move, an owl swooped in and pecked James on the head, "OW OW OW OW WHY ME WHY ME WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME!"

"Wrong catchphrase." Lily muttered before picking it out of James' hair, "It's for you Ron."

"Errol?" Ron gasped, now it was his turn to gap, "What-wha-wha?" He took the envelope anyways and opened it up, and visibly paling.

"What is it?" Harry asked urgently, "What's up?"

"It's Ginny." He sighed, "We should go met her."

* * *

April **Year 1998 **the Burrow

* * *

Ginny Weasley fingered a big fat golden galleon in her hand. The air of the early summer still startles her. She can't believe how fast the times went by. It had been eight months since she'd last seen Harry.

Of course, she couldn't possibly be worried about boys at a time like this, right it was the galleon that was of most important. She nicked it from the Room of Requirement, it was Rose's. It was quite an effort, sneaking into the room without anyone knowing, and then asking the room various times to end up at the spot where it was a while ago. She finally found it, the gold galleon that was supposed to answer all her questions.

It didn't, the still cryptic, _It's About Time, _etched onto its edge and being as puzzling as ever. Ginny dedicated a whole first day of her Easter Break to trying to figure it out, but she couldn't. Anyway, that time probably passed.

She twisted it around her hand and tried to look at the message from different angles, having part of it covered up, upside down, and everything, but the message still won't reveal itself.

"WORK!" She yelped, and to her surprise it started beeping, she dropped onto the fresh grass of her lawn, "Well, that's one way to do it."

She tried to pick it up from the ground, but it stuck to it like glue, a bright light emit from it and it almost gave off the same energy as a…portkey.

"That can't be good." She mumbled, running off into the house.

* * *

**Now it's the end.**

**I just had to put in the Deathly Hallows because it's sort of important, right? Anyways, the next chapter the seven (six, sorry...) will reunite with a very special guest star!**

**AND ON TO THE BATTLE OF HOGWARTS!**

**What? You've GOT to have that battle.**

**I can't write it as well as JKR, obviously, but I'm willing to spend a few hours trying to cobber up something.**

**And hopefully you'll read it and NOT hate it...**

**I'm not doing reviews just yet, I'll be compiling them after the summary thing and stuff, just because most of the reviews are for the summary contest. Any how, I'm excited, how about you?**

**~Lilies**


	17. XVI: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Chapter 16: Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

* * *

April **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

Severus Snape looked at the rubble that used to be his office in mild shock. Obviously the Weasley girl betrayed him, it was given. Smokes swirled from the bookshelves as every last of Dumbledore's treasured books went up in flames. Glass shattered across the floor and the curtain was scratched. Really, she was way to dramatic for her own good.

"Severus!" Amycus shouted at him, "Told you we shouldn't have trusted that filthy half-blood, look at the mess!"

He kicked a rock that used to be the remaining of a silver instrument, but Snape's eyes were focused upon his desk, which used to hold the tracker, the key to his plan.

The Potter boy, if it was up to him he would be gone in a snap, but it was greater than him. It was the Dark Lord, Dumbledore, and _Lily _and all of the other people entwined with the boy. There was too much at stake if Snape just blasted him out of the wall, he had to _protect _him.

Yes, Severus Snape had to use his life to protect the Potter's boy; life was cruel with its irony.

"The girl is a mere spot on our plan Amycus." He told the Carrow brother. He was ugly as he was dim, so Snape didn't even bother looking his way, "Rose was a weak wizard, I doubt there was anything here we couldn't replace."

An even uglier look came across Amycus' face, as Snape waved his wand. Few loose materials combined and twisted into a crude looking instrument, the size of a book of sorts.

"Tell Bellatrix it's nearly ready." He muttered, "We'll be departing towards Potter very soon."

* * *

April **Year 1998 **the Burrow

* * *

"GINNY? GINNY?"

Ron slashed past the rippling but feeble protection charm around the house, but Harry pulled him back quickly before he stepped too far in.

"Are you mad? The entire place is being watched by the Ministry." As soon as he said so, a group of wizards in official and stupidly neat robes started to look at their direction, but the seven ducked down quickly.

"Sorry mate." Ron said sheepishly. Harry peeked through the mass of weed and grass around the Burrow and breathes a sigh of relief as they moved the other way. It felt weird, being hunted down by the same Ministry that was willing to have him come in their office the last year. Of course, he was the Boy Who Lived then, now he was the Boy Who Could Be Dead Any Second. He never really thought about the difference until it stared him in the eyes, like it did a couple of time during the past few months,

"How do we know it was Ginny who sent the letter?" Hermione's shrilly voice came from behind him, it felt good to have his brightest friend by his side again, as quick witted as Lacey was, she still lacked in some parts, her impulsiveness was one of them, and they seem to share the same hero complex. She would've jumped in the Burrow like Ron, if it wasn't for her brother _Jason _shoving her back.

"I know it was her, alright." Ron and Harry snapped at the same time, and then looked at each other awkwardly. He still hasn't got used to the idea of dating his best mate's sister, even after they broke up.

"Glad to see your confidence in me." Ginny Weasley's voice came from behind them. She smirked, wearing her casual muggle clothing and her hair blowing in the wind. Even so, Harry swore she never looked more beautiful; maybe it was because he only saw her in dot form on his Marauder's map.

"Ginny!" Ron hugged his little sis and Harry snapped back to reality. Lacey stared at the ginger girl, tugging at her hair and looking a bit nervous, but Harry was too happy in the sight of Ginny to notice.

"Gosh Ron! You couldn't be any more subtle." Hermione punched him playfully, gesturing to the wizards in robes, not noticing the commotion outside of the bubble. Maybe it worked both ways; you couldn't see outside of it, people outside can't see in it.

"Sorry." Ron grumbled, "Gin, I was so worried, did someone get injured? Mom? Dad? Bill? God forbid one of the twins?" he asked urgently, "Or you?"

"I'm fine Ronald." Ginny snapped, but there was a smile upon her face, which didn't quite reach her eyes, "We've got to go though, it's not safe here." She led them to a small trap door just a few yards away, explaining how she appeared to have popped out of nowhere.

The trap door led to a small basement-ish place, reminding Harry dimly of the dungeons of Hogwarts. He felt a pan of homesickness towards his beloved school, and then reminded himself that it was the least safe place for him, Harry Potter. Besides, he had nearly everyone he loved in this room, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and by the looks of it, the rest of the Weasley family.

"Harry!" Fred and George chorused in unison, "So glad to see you out of your pitiful disguise."

Ginny shot him a questioning look, which Harry replied with what he hoped to be 'I'll-tell-you-later'. She was also shooting glances at the three new comers. Harry couldn't blame her, he would be distrustful of Lenny, Lacey and Sam save that they each saved his butt a few times.

"We picked them up at Grimmauld Place." Harry explained, "Lacey, Lenny, and Sam. They introduced themselves as time travelers!"

Ginny dropped a glowing gold coin thing she was holding and stared at the three of them, as if searching for something. The end of Lacey's hair glowed blonde, as if she was mid-way between transitions.

"Anyways…" Hermione said, looking around. There were the twins, Bill and Fleur, and a couple more Order people, Lupin and Tonks sat quietly in the corner. Lupin smiled his tired smile at Harry. Tonks' was brighter.

"Wotchers Harry!" she squeaked excitedly, "Did you hear the news?"

He was about to question it until he realized that, for a pregnant woman, Tonks looked rather thin and excitable. He couldn't quite remember when was it that Lupin stormed in on Grimmauld Place and delivered the news, but he felt it would've been at least 9 months.

"Your child is born?" Hermione squealed uncharacteristically, "How lovely!"

Tonks beamed, "We've named him Teddy, after dad." Then turned to Harry, "You'd be the godfather!"

Harry smiled widely at her, trying to form the right answer to it. For months he had been travelling, hunting for Horcruxes and learning about the Hallows, he didn't stop to think about the Order, which was rather selfish of him in retrospect. Some part of him argued that if he did think of them too often, the wave of sadness and anger might take him away from his quest, but never the less, Harry saw the tired lines of Lupin and the badly scarred Bill, and felt the guilt eating him away since forever. It was because of him that they were bruised, burned, and blanch. He felt a small, soft hand reassuring him, and smiled gratefully at Ginny.

"Teddy's in the other room." She said gently, "Want to see him?"

She led him away and his mind remembered the last time they were alone. He gulped slightly and focused on anything but her beacon of light, but Ginny didn't seem to notice. Her attention was on a small, beat-down crib in the center of the near dark room. There were a few candles flying about, but other than that the nursery was dark.

Teddy Remus Lupin had a tuff of turquoise hair and smiled bubbly up at Harry. He couldn't have been more than a few days, weeks at most, old. Harry watched as Ginny reached down to touch Teddy's nose, and his mind immediately jumped to her stroking _their _child. He shook his thoughts away; they were in middle of a war here!

"He's just a few days old, almost a week." Ginny explained, "Tonks been in and out of sleep for a while, you've caught her on a good day."

He really wanted to kiss her right now.

"Hey!" A squeaky voice came from the door as Harry cursed inside his mind. Lacey, her hair now suspiciously blonde, came through the door, "Mrs. Weasley is back, she wanted to see you." She told Harry, and stepped aside as he went out.

He couldn't help shake the fact that Lacey saying 'Mrs. Weasley' is the weirdest thing in the world.

"Wasn't your hair ginger a moment ago?" Ginny questioned her. Lily gulped and twisted her hair around. There was a reason she sighed up to protect Harry, other than the total thrill of danger and adventure, but her mom was always the more perspective one, and Lily couldn't help but smack herself on the head for not thinking of disguises before they came. On the other hand, how was she going to explain it to Harry, Ron and Hermione?

"I like to mix things up a little." Lily smiled feebly, tapping her wand to her straight strands, and making them curly and brown like Hermione's.

Ginny was studying her and she felt seriously uncomfortable, as if the space-time-continuum was shattering underneath her feet.

"Is that Teddy?" she looked over to her older god-brother, who was only a few days old. It's an odd sensation. Currently Teddy was visiting Victoire, her older cousin, in France. She guessed he was planning a proposal soon, which is why he couldn't be on the quest. Otherwise he was a fantastic Auror.

"Yes." Ginny said, still judging Lily. She shuffled her feet.

"Did you write a letter to Ron, asking us to meet you here?" She blurt out, "What did you want to tell us?"

Ginny looked down to her hand, where a golden thing Lily couldn't quite made out was glowing. She felt a little nauseous.

"I'm talking to Harry about it first." She announced, and then promptly left the room. Clearly she didn't trust the ginger, actually now brunette, girl. Lily gave a sigh of relief as her mom left the room, her wild ginger hair returning.

"Guess you've meant dear old mum." James entered the room, carelessly tossing terms around as if Ginny wasn't just a few feet away, "Ohh….is that cousin Teddy?" he cooed, staring at the baby.

"Yes, _Jason._" She gritted her teeth, "Stop touching him!"

"I so wish I had a camera right now." James laughed as Teddy burped, "Imagine the horror on _our _Ted's face."

"Why are you here?" she asked, "The last time was because of the Sword of Gryffindor, now what?"

Explaining to Scorpius and Lysander about James' sudden reappearance was weird; especially since she didn't have a clue where he was other than the fact he was undercover in Malfoy Manor. They haven't had any time alone since he showed up, and Hermione was getting more suspicious. Lily chewed her lips nervously; their whole mission can blow thanks to James' carelessness.

"I told you, stuff at the manor." He said, "Dueling with the Malfoys, pissing off Auntie Bella, sleepovers with the Dark Lord, fun stuff."

She swatted him on the shoulder, "I'm serious! The Battle of Hogwarts is drawing near and we have found, what, two Horcrux?" she sighed, "There's still the Diadem, the snake, and not to mention Harry himself, what are we going to do?"

James awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, "Lily, Lily, Lily, you worry too much. Remember that Harry hasn't even gotten a hint of what to do most of the time, our presence is going to help; it already did!"

It wasn't exactly reassuring, since now the fate of the world pretty much rested upon their hands. Lily didn't feel the pressure of it before, but now with the 'deadline' coming up, she felt as if she was being suffocated in a burlap bag.

"I suppose you're right." She mumbled, as he pulled her in for an awkward hug. She heard a yelp from the living room and quickly went out.

"What's up?" She asked. Scorpius was looking pale at the glowing thing in the middle of the table, now emitting low, blue light; she squinted and made out what it was.

"A galleon."

More specifically, their messaging galleon. But what was it doing glowing blue and shining like a, like a portkey.

"They're coming." Lily whispered to herself, understanding what's going on. Someone put a tracker on it, someone with future technology, someone who had taken hold of one of their galleons, and someone who knew exactly what their way of messaging was.

One of them.

The world exploded as black cloak swirled around the little basement. The Weasleys, now including grandma and grandpa, shield themselves and drew their wand out. A stunning curse hit George as he went down, Fred feverishly protecting his twin, Bill and Fleur blasting jinx after jinx,

The Death Eaters were all cloaked as Lily did her best to stun them, but they were throwing the _killing curse _for god's sake, it was a little hard to retaliate with _Stupefy_.

Ron dodged a purple spark, Hermione send a lamp shattering across the room, Harry inches away from a hex, Ginny…

Where's Ginny?

"Nobody move." A thrill voice came from the left, Bellatrix Lestrange, in all her madness and crazy, held Ginny by the throat and stuck a wand up her neck. She looked just a beautiful and intimidating as the last time Lily saw the Death Eater, when Hermione got kidnapped, no, that was NOT going to happen again. "Or the girl gets it."

Hermione whimpered, Harry looked murderous, and Lily felt a sinking pit in her stomach growing larger and large. They can't kill Ginny.

They were surrounded, outnumbered three to one, the Weasleys, as well as Harry, Hermione, Lupin and Tonks gave up and surrendered, allowing the Death Eaters, regular and cult alike, to tie them by the wrist, leaving only Lily, James, Scorpius and Lysander free, and all wands pointing at them, except for Bellatrix, who still held Ginny as hostage.

"Come on sweetheart." She teased bitterly, "You won't win this fight."

James, sweet and stupid James, step up to her. He must have put on quite a disguise as a Death Eater for Bellatrix to not even flinch with reorganization. Lily was well aware of how many wands were pointed in his direction, readying to kill him if needed.

"My dear Bella." She gasped at the familiarity in his voice, "You should really work on your people skills."

Then, as quick as lightning and powerful as storm, he did two spells almost simultaneously and blasted the whole basement open. Lily was left gasping at the open sky and the unconscious Bellatrix Lestrange, what happened?

"Jason!" she had enough sense to remember his codename, "Where are you?"

Her stupid brother appeared victoriously from the rubbles, all the Death Eaters were stunned; actually, everyone was stunned, except for Lily, Scorpius, and Lysander.

"Get up!" he told the other two boys, "We've got to clear out!"

They dragged the Death Eaters up a hill and locked them in a conjured cage. Lily had no idea where James could possibly remember to get a cage from, but she didn't question it. They left the Weasley family where they were, they should wake up at their own accord any moment.

"We should go." James pulled her by the arm and dragged her up the hill.

"What?" she questioned, "We still have a mission, and we've got to help them!"

James looked scary for a second, the playfulness gone and he looked just like moments after Albus' death, "Lily, we've done our job. Dad is safe and they've all going to be fine. Our mission now is to get you home!"

She couldn't believe what he was saying, in fact, she doesn't believe it. What happened to the Potter Hero Complex, or their promise to see this mission until Voldemort is dead? Lily questioned him so.

"That's before we were ambushed by Death Eaters." He growled, "We've done enough now, _let's _go!"

Lily narrowed her eyes at her big brother; there was no way she was moving from this spot.

* * *

April **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"Don't push me!"

"I'm not pushing you!"

"Then what's pushing me?"

"I don't know!"

"UGHH! _Lumos_!"

Their job was virtually done. Rose had blown up Snape's entire thousands of galleon research. She gain back Hugo's trust, and they were on the run away from this hell whole, leaving nothing behind.

Neville, Luna, and Ginny were safely away for Easter, and probably had the sense to not return after Rose had sent them all a message via Owl. Now that Rose had destroyed the last of that god awful tracker, they were free to make their escape, find Lily and the rest, and go home.

"It's been almost a year since we've seen mum." She thought it over.

"If you start getting sappy again, I swear I'm going to hex you." Hugo laughed it off. The good thing, and probably the only good thing, about this moment was that Hugo relatively forgave her. They were back to normal, almost as close as they were, but still, it felt like an invisible barrier had be built, impenetrable unless given lots of time.

Too much time.

They were disguised under the disillusion spell Rose put over them, but it was still dangerous as they creaked towards the only escape route they know, in the 7th floor. The mission wasn't easy, as they've met plenty of obstacles in the form of running Ravenclaws and stealthy Slytherins, and oh, Hungry Hufflepuffs, which didn't make sense because their dormitory was next to the kitchen.

"Damn!" she swore as she looked closer towards the Room of Requirement, "Snape's got the whole place surrounded."

True to the word, a bunch of burly looking Slytherins gathered around the entrance, 'casually' idling. A small second year Ravenclaw squeaked as she ran by, with their glare.

"Now that they've known about the last exit." Hugo sighed, "I guess we're trapped."

Rose was almost about to reply when a distraction came in the form of tall, blonde, and tired. Draco Malfoy, the older version, came cruising down the hallway, which is as weird as Rose as pictured.

"Umm, what's Mr. Malfoy doing here?" They've known Mr. Malfoy through a few business meetings with Uncle Harry. They more or less cleared up their old rivalry, as well as their mom and most other, though dad was still a little hesitant.

Okay, a lot hesitant.

"Probably Snape wanted a word with him." She watched carefully as Mr. Malfoy strolled up to the burly Slytherins and barked at them to leave. Of course, as he flashed his ever present Dark Mark, the cowards scurried away.

"You can come out now!" His voice alarmingly like Scorpius' as Rose shuddered. She missed him _so much, _but she can't very well hug his dad just because.

"Excuse me?"

Stupid, sweet, Hugo.

"Gosh!" She exclaimed as Hugo undid his disillusion charm and came from his hiding spot.

"I told them to leave, so congrats, you can get away now." He gestured towards the grand pair of door that was appearing behind him. Rose blinked.

So there was a complicated history between the Malfoys and the Potter-Weasleys. On one hand, a few of them forgave him and allowed him to be in a cordial friendship, the likes of mom and Uncle Harry, on the other hand, dad and Aunt Ginny still held a strong dislike. Rose always thought that Mr. Malfoy was a little wary of his son dating her, the _Mudblood's _daughter, as she would think former Death Eater would call her, especially given his shaky relationship with both of her parents.

Then, just before the mission, it was reported that Mr. Malfoy had sided with the Death Eaters, a shock to Uncle Harry and an 'I-told-you-so' from dad. Rose didn't really know what to think of him, jumping from one side to the other all the same.

"Thanks." She blinked, and stepped closer. She held her wand at the ready though, just in case it was all a trick.

"I don't bite." He joked, and opened the door behind him, gesturing them in, "If you must know, I'm helping you."

"That part's evident." Hugo laughed, "But the real question is why?"

Mr. Malfoy shrugged, "The same reason as James, I guess."

At the sound of her dear cousin's name, Rose snapped back from examining the door, "What about James?" she haven't had contact with the rest of her relatives for so long that she almost forgotten they existed.

"I guess you'll know when you see him." Draco shrugged, and pushed Rose and Hugo in through the door way.

* * *

April **Year 1998 **the Burrow

* * *

As one might suspect, Aberforth Dumbledore was not happy to see them.

He kept ranting about how they've 'missed' Lily and co. and that they've came a few months too late. Rose and Hugo kept with their rambling apologies as they disparated from the spot safely. Thankfully, due to Mr. Malfoy, they got away safely. The wrath of Snape and Carrow against the students of Hogwarts was one they were not eager to see, but were very guilty to leave.

"We've got to find Lily." Rose repeated to herself, "That's the real deal."

They decided to stop by the Burrow first, just to check in on the Weasleys. Rose hoped they won't cause too much trouble, but on the other hand, she was distracted by something else.

Possibly, in a few days, she might see Scorpius. Someone constantly on her mind for over a couple of months and she _can't _shake the fact that something bad is going to happen once they reunite. She was not a very optimistic person, more realistic actually, so she couldn't help but to think of random scenarios of their reunion, some of which included Scorpius jumping off of a cliff in shock or Rose drowning in quicksand.

"Shut up!" She told her brain, and smiled innocently at Hugo when he checked. They were a few miles down from the Burrow, and another few minutes trek should get them there.

However, did they not expect their search to be so successful.

"Our mission now is to get you home!"

James, James in his brunette and brown eyes familiarity that Rose smiled towards. He was lecturing Lily, her flaming red hair spotted from a distance as she grimaced to see was dirt covered and wild, unlike its usual perfection that Rose can't replicate. She forced her eyes on the two figures, but knowing in the pit of her stomach that two other will rise, and that's when it'll actually start to feel real.

"What happened to saving everyone? What happened to see this mission until You-Know-Who is dead?" Lily's shout was shrill and music to Rose's ear, she missed them so much.

"That's before we were ambushed by Death Eaters!" James growled, not taking notice of the two new figures rising from the wheat-y hills, "We've done enough now, _let's go_."

Lily narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, standing with a challenge and _daring _James to move her from her spot. At that exact moment though, James saw her.

"ROSE?" His jaw dropped and Lily whipped her head around. It was quite comical except for the events happening. Her cousin crushed her in a hug as Lily squealed and clapped her hand, jumping around her, forgetting her stance moments ago.

"And Hugo." Her younger brother grumbled, and Lily enveloped him in a bone crushing hug as well.

"Rose."

The voice was familiar as Rose turned around, greeting her best friend in the entire world. Lysander smelt of burning fire and dirt, but it was damn good.

"I've missed you." He muttered as Rose started to pull away without success. There was one more person left.

"In case you haven't noticed, _Scamander_, she's _my _girlfriend."

His voice, however threatening, was sweet to her ears. Rose turned her ginger hair to find Scorpius, looking perfect as usual with his ash white hair and piercing grey eyes. She smiled without realizing it and had a huge urge to crush him in a hug, until she realized the reason he wasn't doing the same.

They had a fight, it was coming back to her as the memory flow out of the broken dam, over Lysander, he accused her of cheating, she yelled at him for being a snob, they fought and fought, and this time, they never made up.

Still, Scorpius was grinning at her stupidly, almost blinding her and making her forget everything. Lysander's arm on her shoulder prevented that though.

"Hey." She smiled awkwardly, as they awkwardly hugged, "Nice to see you too."

Scorpius' hug was different from Lysander, or maybe it was just because of the feeling bubbling in Rose's stomach and color rising to her cheek. She quickly broke away and avoided eye contact, thankfully Lily chose that moment to be insensitive.

"Where's Aly?"

* * *

**As you might have suspected, the plot is really thickening right now. They are nearing May and the time of the Battle of Hogwarts, which is ****usually ****when writers leave it at and they live happily ever after.**

**Yep.**

**That's all.**

**6 DAYS LEFT IN THE SUMMARY CONTEST!**

**Okay, so I'm working on converting the entire fanfiction into a PDF with all the chapters and really cool embellishment and stuff to look like an actual book (something I'll never be), and when the whole thing is finished, I'll throw a epilogue and I'm sort of planning a prequel (?) and put a link up for it on my profile. So far I've already written like 200 pages, though really big font (I like using big fonts, don't judge me), so it's looking good.**

**Yep.**

**That's all**

**Ciaos for now and stay classy :)**

**~Lilies**

**PS. anyone think I should have a sign off? Like a saying I do before I stop writting?**

**I'm going to go with the following**

**POTATOS!**

**~Lilies**

**PPS or PSS i can never remember, that was weird**

**PPPS or PSSS just ignore me**


	18. XVII: Take Time to Smell the Roses

**I'M BACK INTO THE LAND OF LIVING!**

**Told you I'll update today, right?**

**Alright, the next chapter will be up specifically in a week, BUT! The winner of the Summary contest will be announced tomorrow, so I guess I'll e-mail/pm/whatever the winner then, right? YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT!**

**This is all Rose's POV, and the next chapter is all one person's POV too, but I'm guessing the next one will be more exciting...just sayin'**

**ALSO! FLASHBACKS!**

**Anyways, read on...**

**~Lilies**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Take Time and Smell the Roses**

* * *

April **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

Gone. All Gone.

The Burrow was smashed into pieces from the Death Eater attack, smokes raises into the air, and the whole air looked as if a giant volcano rock crash landed in the middle. The smell of smog and stench. Somewhere beyond the explosion, the Weasley family left.

"They didn't even bother to stay." Rose said, looking at the explosion. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur and Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione, Remus and Tonks and little Teddy, all gone from the wreck and left the time travelers standing in the wreckage. She couldn't tell if she was glad she didn't meet her parents, it would ruin the time space continuum more than they already have.

"Obviously, it wasn't safe." James snorted, glancing at the tied up Death Eaters. They were still unconscious, Bellatrix Lestrange wearing a permanent scowl on her otherwise beautiful face, even in her sleep.

"We've been gone for, what? Five minutes?" Lily pouted; kicking at Teddy's burnt mobile.

"We should get moving."

The last thing was said by Scorpius, as Rose didn't bother turning towards him like the other two. She hasn't seen him in a few months but he looked good, like, really good. Worn and broken and bruised and battered and burned, but really good.

"Right." Hugo agreed absentmindedly. Rose gulped, remembering that Lily had asked about Aly a few moments earlier and her distraction from the conversation had been to catch up on the Weasleys, who evidentially didn't remember they had other guests. She didn't blame them, it was hard to trust these people storming into their lives and telling them all that they are sent to protect them.

"Rose?"

Lysander's voice was soothing, but Rose didn't feel any calmer, she stared at the wreckage. How did they find the safe house? It had been secure for a while, as they knew, and how is it that the day they come everything is blown up.

She wished she never came to the past at all.

Excitement, a thirst to prove something, and live up to her parent's potential, all Potter-Weasley kids felt that, but only a few ever had a chance to prove themselves. When, and if, Rose gets back, she'll be envied by all her cousins; Roxy, Fred II, Dominique, Louis, Molly, Lucy and the rest; but she didn't feel accomplished.

She rather that she stayed in the present, safe and boring present.

"Apparate to the Forest of Dean." She told them, "I assume one of you know where it is?"

Everyone stayed silent, but James spoke, "Ya, haven't had the best memories there."

They all took a hold of his hand and disapparated into darkness.

* * *

April **Year 1998 **Forest of Dean

* * *

"You look sick."

"Thanks Lysander." She rolled her eyes, "Ever girl grew up wanting a guy to tell her that she looks sick."

Lysander blushed against all odds and sat down next to the ginger girl, "Just teasing Rosie."

She slid her hand deeper into her pocket. She was still in her Hogwarts uniform, black wizard robes with a red tie and matching shoes. She felt the marks underneath her skin where she had been _Crucio_-ed, by Snape's' permission, and how Hugo could've told them about the Snape incident, and they'll lose their trust in her.

Except they haven't yet, they've allowed her in their camp and stand guard while they gathered the supplies. Awfully nice of them after all they've been through.

"Oi! Rosie, want to get something done?"

Evidentially not.

"Shove off Malfoy!" Lysander shouted back at the other blonde boy, Lily snuck a glance at the commotion, "We've had a long day."

Scorpius rolled his perfectly grey eyes, "Ya, but do you see me hanging around talking, no, we've got work to do."

He picked up a stack of wood and began building a fire, Rose wondered how he knew that, considering he really haven't worked a day in his life until he was 17, and even then, a _fire?_

"You know you can just conjure a fire, right?" Rose sat down next to him, taking two rocks and trying to strike a spark. Lysander went somewhere to gather mushrooms with Lily, she thought, but nothing was too noticeable next to him.

"Ya, but it's so much more impressive if I make it myself." Scorpius smirked. Rose didn't look up, but continued with the rocks. She can feel James, Lily and Lysander watching them, well, pretending not to notice but really either curious/interested/slightly jealous.

"Are you mad at me?" Scorpius asked, "Because I'd really like to know why."

Rose hit the stones together as hard as she can in frustration, but realizes that it was not the best ways about this, she sighed. "First we had a fight about Lysander of all people, right after we don't see each other for a few months, then you yell at me to work, and you now _flirt _with me?" Her blue eyes flashed, "How can you expect everything to be so normal?"

He looked anxious, not cocky or confident like he usually was around his friends, or caring and loving like he was with her, not even the anger at any guy trying to get close to Rose or calling her a _mudblood, _despite what his parentage was. He was anxious, of _her._

"Sorry." He mumbled, then tried again, "It's really a lot harder than it make it look in TV, you know."

"You watch TV?" She asked. Did the Malfoy family even have a TV?

He blushed, which looked awkward on Rose but really hot on him, "Ya, you know, since you're so excited about all the shows and I thought I'd go and watch them. It was really hard though, I had to go to a Muggle library and sighed out all these books about TVs but then I had to ask Lily for help which was really embarrassing and I just…did."

She blinked. Watching TV wasn't a huge thing for most wizards with a Muggle parent or a Muggle-born parent, like her, but it completely out of the elements for Scorpius. He liked practical entertainment like going to a carnival or dueling, but sitting down and staring a screen for a few hours, not his definition of fun. On top of that he had to navigate in the Muggle world to find a TV of all things, and…for her.

"Why would you do that?" she asked, "It's just TV."

"I make a point to get to know all of your hobbies, remind me to return your copy of _The Hunger Games_." Scorpius said nonchalantly, but Rose's heart was beating twice the healthy amount. He _hated _the _Hunger Games, _didn't he?

"I thought you didn't like Muggle books!" She said again, watching as Scorpius tried to strike the rocks again, nope, nothing, nada.

"Not as much as I hate using Muggle currency, but I did." Scorpius said casually, "I went to this book store and got all these classics that they read, _Anne of Green Cables-"_

"-_Gables_." She corrected.

"-_Gables_, _Little Women_ and stuff like that." He shrugged, completely and handsomely ignoring Rose gaping at him, "Thought you might like it for your birthday, you know, before this." He gestured towards the Forest of Dean, and the sparkling blue lake that is next to their camp site.

"Why would you do that?" Rose asked. Why would Scorpius, born and raised in a Pureblood society, venturing this into the Muggle world, TV, Books, Shopping, when he could be at home doing…well, whatever they do, because Rose didn't have a clue.

"Because I love you."

Rose jumped out of her skin, and struck the rocks accidentally, making a spark and hitting the pile of sticks, creating a fire.

"Told you that was impressive." Scorpius smirked.

* * *

"We should leave soon."

They had a full stomach after they gathered whatever supply they have and made a random meal out of mushrooms and Hogwarts bread buns, it was the weirdest thing Rose ever had, but it might just be because the boy sitting next to her just told her that he loved her.

Yep, it was definitely that.

"Not this again!" Lily groaned, "We're not leaving! We're going to find the Weasleys and help Harry destroy the rest of the Horcruxes. It's the _right _thing to do!"

She might be little, but she was _loud._

"Lily…" James pinched his nose, "Please, it'll be better if we leave. They've got everything they need to defeat Vold-You-Know-Who, our mission is done. The Death Eaters are tied up-"

"There are still hundreds of them left!" Lily argued, "Besides, they found Harry pretty easily, who's to say they won't again?"

"Wait." Rose hesitated, "How did they find you any ways?" The Burrow was under surveillance for a while, but the Weasley cellar was kept quite secret, it would take quite a bit of luck to guess its location, as well as Harry's presence.

"There was a galleon." Lily strained her brain in remembrance, "I think, it was giving off sort of portkey energy."

Rose's heart thumped.

"A galleon?" Scorpius asked, "I suppose a galleon can be a portkey, but why would anyone set it so that Death Eaters can come through? I thought a portkey was supposed to be at the place from where they travel from."

Lily shrugged, "I said it was portkey energy, not an actual portkey. I guess it was like an apparition target or something."

The bread tasted sour inside her mouth. She didn't dare to glance at Hugo, who would surely know what was on her mind. He turned moody and called off to bed. Rose sat there, too numb to think. It was her who put a tracker on the galleon, and it was her who 'blew' up the research. She did, honestly, but now Hugo would think it was all her fault.

_All her fault._

It was her fault. Why did she trust Snape in the first place? Why did she help the Death Eaters? Why would she give them more power and more ways to find Harry? Why? Why? Why?

Rose's head was buzzing, but she sat there quietly, trying not to draw any attention to herself. They'll figure out soon enough though. A galleon, portkey energy, it was all leading back to her.

"Doesn't matter now." James was back on convincing everyone to go home, "I'm not risking our lives again."

"You will be if dad gets captured, or any of them get captured!" Lily said again, "Please, please, please…" she went on for a while until Rose was getting a headache.

The end result was a compromise; James would go and scout out the Weasleys while the rest of them stayed here. It wasn't much of a promise, but they knew that James would never just _leave _Lily here, and Lily wouldn't go until they see this to the very end, when Voldemort is killed, and so it was agreed.

Rose set up the tent (that Lily was carrying before the skirmish at the Burrow) and crawled inside. It was a bit cramped for five people, but they made do. The girls on one side, the boys on the other, though there was nothing really to separate them, which is why they're going to hear Hugo snore for the duration of the days.

It was quiet except for the occasional wind, they've set up various defenses, and even taking a chance on the ones developed in the future because of how desperate they are to stay hidden. James knew exactly where the campsite will be, which is how he'll be able to find them again. It was silent, which means, for the first time in a while, she can think.

Thinking was not a pleasant thing.

ALL HER FAULT! How could she be so blind and stupid and dim and gullible? They nearly captured Harry and it was ALL HER FAULT! She felt like punching something, throwing all the spells she can at it and wreck it like it was a Horcrux. Then she felt like drowning herself in pity and ice-cream.

No, she wouldn't. Rose opened her blue eyes and looked around. The others slept gently. Lily was guarding outside with Lysander, Hugo looked peaceful, and Rose couldn't even bare to look at Scorpius right now…

She would not drown herself in self-pity, she was a Gryffindor, and she was going to fix everything.

The question was…how?

* * *

Morning came and she felt like she came down with the flu. Never the less she took the first guard shift with Lily, who was alert and jumped at small noises, waiting her brother's arrival.

"He'll be fine!" Rose told her. She didn't know about James' 'sources' which were suspicious and downright dangerous, but he's the most experienced of all of them, so he should be fine.

Right?

"Thanks Rosie." Lily smiled. It was just like the old times, sort of, sleepovers and gossiping and giggling, except now it was camping and making plans and trying not to die.

Apparently Lily was thinking the same thing, "What's up with you and Scorpius?"

Rose swallowed, but didn't reply, hoping Lily would get the hint. She didn't know what to do about the Slytherin boy just like she wasn't sure what to do about the galleon incident. Lily did though, something happened to the ginger girl since the last time Rose saw her cousin. More grown up, more sophisticated, and more mature.

She didn't like it.

"So Hugo told me some stuff about your adventures…" Lily drawled on, clearly understanding that Scorpius was not a good topic to discuss.

"Aly." She answered, that must be burning on Lily's mind. It has been three months since Aly was gone, but for Lily, she had only been dead for a few hours. She remembered the first day after.

"Hugo won't tell me too much." Lily sighed, "Something about a ghost, Luna and Neville, and Hannah?"

"She sacrificed herself for her father's happiness." Rose answered, "Something Aly always wanted to do I guess. Something heroic, something that will _always _be remembered."

Silent fell over them for a well, as Lily digested the information. She can tell the younger girl was swallowing tears; Aly was a dear friend of all of them.

"You think we can do something like that?"

Okay…new topic then.

"Something heroic, proving that we're as good as our parents." Lily continued. Obviously, it was a lot of kid's dream to be as brave as their parents, but for them, well…

"We're as good." Rose answered, at least Lily was. She was pure, and innocent, as much as she hates admitting it. Lily was a morally good person, ready to save the world without hesitation or emotion involved. Rose…she was selfish. "_You're _good."

Lily smiled slightly. Rose missed her full on grin that was a little annoying at some times. A few hours later they left guard duty to Scorpius and Hugo, the former stared at Rose for a few minutes before turning away. Rose felt her face flaming up, but she was determined not to let it show. There was still too much to think and do much less petty romance.

A few days past like this, Lily and Rose, Scorpius, Lysander and Hugo, taking turns on guard and looking out for James and his source. No luck past after a day…two days…five days…a week…two…

They were getting restless, they had to stay in the same spot to ensure James could find them again, but they'd take small trips to nearby Muggle supermarkets. Usually Scorpius, Lysander and Lily, as Rose and Hugo are wanted by Snape, most probably. Even if Lily, Scorpius and Lysander were involved at the Malfoy Manor, they were still safer since they didn't blow up Snape's research (or didn't, apparently), and all anyone remembered from there was Harry and Ron.

A full two weeks went by without any words from James, and Rose was getting tired; restless and bored and tired. They had to do something! James wouldn't just leave Lily here, so he was coming back, but when or how or why or what, they didn't know. Now Rose was regretting this, and she can tell the others are too.

She was cooking this time, with Lysander. She can feel Scorpius's glaze on her, but she was determine to ignore it. She felt horrible, of course, as she haven't spoken to him since he told her he loved her, but how was someone supposed to respond to that?

_By saying you love him back, Rosie?_

She was Gryffindor, but she was still afraid.

"What's bothering you?" Lysander asked.

"Nothing!"

"Sure Rosie; I'm a giant pineapple too."

Rose sighed; she wasn't in the mood for a sarcastic Scamander.

"I think…" she hesitated for a moment, Lysander was her best friend; she can trust him, right? "I'm responsible for Bellatrix Lestrange finding the Weasley cellar."

Lysander was quiet for a second; she always thought he was going to hex her or something. He chopped up the celeries sticks, Rose thought he might be pretending it was her body or something.

"Why?"

"I made a stupid mistake of telling Snape I'm a time traveler, he asked if there was a spell from the future that can track their presence. I told him the next best thing would be tracking the galleon." She sighed, "It's stupid, but I thought I could trust him!"

Lysander didn't speak for a very long time.

"There's no need to blame yourself; lots of people betray our trusts." His voice wavered a little.

"But I thought-"

"Doesn't matter, we all think Snape was alright, I guess, there was no way you could've planned this all."

"But-"

"No 'buts', its fine."

"I'm sure that-"

"I'm sure it's fine."

Rose frowned. Lysander made her sound like a perfect angel who just wasn't _capable _of doing anything bad, other than dating Scorpius, in his books. She wasn't like that. She was selfish and emotional and a wreck. It felt like an excuse, telling her that she just can't be blamed.

She was to blame, honestly.

"I'm just glad you're not mad at me." She told him, that much was true. She wasn't sure how Lily would take it, nor Scorpius, but at least she had Lysander on her side, then there was Hugo…

She was still in his bad books, after so long to try and regain his trust, Rose failed him again.

She was to blame, of course.

* * *

She was on guard duty again the next night, but to her dismay, she was put with Scorpius this time.

_Damn it, _two weeks record, just gone out of the window.

"Hey, in a few minutes it'll be May!" Scorpius said randomly.

"That's nice."

Battle of Hogwarts, May 2nd 1998, they were all thinking it, but Rose didn't bother bringing it up. It was sort of a deadline for them all, but they looked as if they were going to fail.

"You've been avoiding me, you know." Scorpius pouted as he sat down next to her. Somewhere inside the tent, Hugo and Lily were attempting to play a card game while Lysander poked at a radio clock.

"I know."

"Wanna tell me why?" Scorpius teased, inching closer to her as Rose struggled to not pull back. She liked it, she _loves _it, but she just…can't.

"It's scary." She sighed.

"That I love you?"

"Maybe."

"So what?"

"We're so young, Scorpius."

"We're overage wizards on a mission to save the world; I don't think age is an issue."

"I JUST DON'T KNOW WHY!" Rose yelled, standing up all of the sudden, "Why you love _me _of all people, especially after…" she felt her head dizzying. She didn't even know what her problem was until she was staring at it in the face. She didn't think Scorpius will still love her after she tells him what she did, even if Lysander said she wasn't the blame. Of course, who would? Rose felt a surge of adrenaline leaving her, but Scorpius was still drilling her.

"After what?" he asked.

His face was drawing her to look, his piercing grey eyes and perfectly and stylish hair, his high cheekbones and…

"After you knew I helped Snape find Harry." Rose explained everything. Now that she was saying it, it was streaming out of her like a waterfall. She actually wanted to tell him, just to get it over with, making him hate her so much that the sliver of hope inside her that he'll still love her will just die and she can move on.

That didn't happen.

"So what do you want to do?" He asked, completely different from Lysander, of course, who automatically assured Rose that everything was fine.

"I don't know!" Rose sighed in frustration, "What am I supposed to do?" Really, she could just end up messing everything up more, or…

"You could help." Scorpius said.

Still the question of how, but at least Rose felt a little better now, unlike after her conversation with Lysander, which made her felt a little hollow. He means well, really, but still…

"Replicate the spell, except _we'll _use it to find Ginny, she still has the coin, right? It wasn't in the wreckage. We'll find her and go and help them, and no one will question your loyalty then."

Hugo won't question her loyalty then.

Her boyfriend was a bloody genius.

"That's brilliant." She pulled him up to her level, realizing how awkward it was for her to talk to him sitting down, "I just-it's a lot of work." She admitted, she _had _spent three months dawdling.

Scorpius smiled, making him look radiate and her feeling like she was standing next to the Sun, "If anyone can do it, it's you."

He didn't tell her she was innocent, or right, or angelic. He knew she was flawed and mistaken and broken, but he helped her. That's why she loves him.

"Thanks." Rose tried her hardest not to blush, but it was difficult considering of how Scorpius just got really, _really, _close and he smelt of pine trees and spring and life, while she was thinking all gloom and doom a few minutes ago.

Scorpius looked down to his watch suddenly, "It's May." He noted.

"New months, new beginning." She grinned, and leaned forward to kiss him.

* * *

**DAWWW...SCOROSE!**

**In case you can't tell, I ship it.**

**Yep...**

**GO AND CHECK OUT THE SONG 'EVERYTHING IS BETTER WITH SHIPPING' BY STOPITSGINGERTIME CHANNEL. Gosh I don't know her real name but she's a ginger and she writes fandom songs, so she's pretty awesome.**

**I'll go ahead and do the reviews now, since I've been lazy for a while...**

**A.L. Kingsley: **pretty little writer? Gosh that reminds me of Pretty Little Liars. I don't watch the show though (dodges rock thrown by fandom), but I've watched the pilot?

*cricket*

*cough*

Ya...I'm too lazy to do stuff, plus exams are coming...EKJDSGLKJDLFKGJ;SDKLGJ;DLKFGLKDK;L...i'm procrastinating too much...

Thanks darling!

**EmpressPyrus:** older Draco

**thestoryreader99:** thank you for that, though I will not remember, just sayin' THANKS DOLL!

PS. i don't usually call people dolls, feel special

PPS. *throws special glitter*

PPPS. see what I did there?

**LilyLuna123:** heh, James

**Ofred**: thanks :D

** 2:** mystery socks? very cool name, and TWO OF THEM! WOW!

**Madlenita:** gosh I don't know which chapter you're on but SNAPE IS HERE!

**THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I FEEL SO LOVED!**

**~Lilies**

**GOSH I AM SO LAZY TO WRITE A GOOD A/N BUT I HOPE THE NEXT CHAPTER MAKES UP FOR IT!**

**REMEMBER THE SUMMARY CONTEST!**


	19. Life and Time of James Potter

**SORRY!**

**I know I'm suppose to update yesterday, but time sort of flew and I-forget (dodge flying rock). Hopefully this chapter makes up for it, and as you can guess if you read ahead, it's about JAMES!**

**YES! A WHOLE 7000+ WORD ON OUR FAVORITE HERO!**

**He's seriously like my favorite character. BUT THEY'RE ALL SO PRECIOUS!**

**The next two chapter will be dedicated to the Battle of Hogwarts, so brace yourself. And then...we'll see what happens next right?**

**Yep, that is all...**

**~Lilies**

* * *

_September __**Year 2024 **__Auror Department, Ministry of Magic_

* * *

_He didn't want to do this, but his father's plan was too ambitious for the seven young kids. How did he expect to save the world if he had chosen seven young kids for the job?_

_Of course, he was completely qualified, but how dare he even think of bringing Lily into this?_

_His knuckles closed around the Titanium jewelry he nicked from his father's cupboards, making his hand hurt a bit. He was notorious for his quick thinking to get him out of sticky situations, but he didn't want to resort to this._

_Maybe he can get out what his father really wanted to do._

"_What game are you playing at?"_

_At age 21, James Potter had seen it all. He had been on the list of potential Aurors since age 7 since he first began to show sign of magic. He graduated Hogwarts with a perfect score on his Defense Against Dark Arts test. Not to mention that last week he scouted out some Death Eaters in the forest of Albania. He thought that he could have seen anything coming._

_Apparently not._

"_I'm not playing games with you James." His father's green eyes sparkled. James' stomach lurched; those were the same eyes as Albus, the last of his brother that James saw._

It's all his fault his fault his fault his fault his fault his fault.

"_You're not giving us much information on this." James hissed, "And you expect us, even _Lily_, to risk our lives for it?" He wouldn't let his sibling be hurt again; Lily is all he has left._

_Harry looked at him calmly, but still a hint of guilt upon his face, "I _know_ you can succeed." How does he know? They could very well die from this._

"_You already lost one son to the Death Eaters, you want _another_ one? _And_ a daughter?"_

_Instantly James felt horrible for saying so. It wasn't dad's fault that Albus was dead, if anyone was to blame, other than the Death Eaters, it would be James, James, who lured Albus into that trap, unintentionally, of course, but carelessly._

It's all his fault his fault his fault his fault his fault his fault.

"_I've talked it over with the others." His dad sighed, "And all of you have agreed. I don't see the problem."_

"_The problem is that we don't have a plan." James hissed, "You expect the seven of us, three of which are untrained and under aged, to go back over two decades in time, just to protect you and your friend's younger self? We could accidentally _kill_ ourselves in the past. Nothing good ever comes out of messing with time." James said in a big breath of rage and anger, "I thought you knew that."_

_His dad's eyes were stern now, not as a mission leader, but as a father, a father who understands the risks but knows that they must be done, "I would go back myself, but you know what will happen. I at 17-year old am _not_ very emotionally stable." Harry continued, "And seeing my future self will cause all kind of chaos."_

_James sighed and nodded. It was true that none of the Aurors could go back in time if they were already born by the year 1997. People who have seen them own selves through time travel are general mad and crazy, they've got a whole section in the Department of Mystery about the danger of time travel and its studies, but there was still one thing not adding up._

"_Why us then?" James asked, "There are plenty more qualified Aurors out there who are older, why risk the life of Lily, or Rose, or any of them?"_

_His dad looked at his eldest son with a look that suggest he saw this coming, and then took out a small package from his coat no bigger than an orange, and handed it to James, "Don't open this until you're over there, it'll explain everything."_

_He went on to explain about the teams, how one will protect those at Hogwarts (Ginny, Neville, and Luna), while the other protected the Golden Trio (Harry, Ron, and Hermione). But James had his own mission. His knuckles bled from clutching the stolen time turner, but he must do this._

_His dad is in way over his head, and James is the only one that sees his flaw. The Death Eaters will see them coming. So unless the team had a spy, they'll never be on even footing._

"_Well?" Harry looked at his older and only son, "Chose your mission."_

"_I think I'll act as the messenger." James replied lazily, giving a little thought so it looked like he was actually considering it, "Give help whenever needed."_

"_That reminds me." Harry said quickly, "You'll need these, one per each group." He held out two gold coins, Galleons, same as the ones Hermione used in their fifth year in Dumbledore's Army. Surely enough, the kids recognized them and didn't need further information. Rose took the one for Team A, Scorpius for Team B._

"_You still have to choose a side." His dad said to James. He chose Team B of course, it was obvious because he'd want to be with his sister, but James still saw Harry giving him the suspicious look. He chose to ignore it._

"_When will the mission be considered complete?" Rose asked._

_This was the hard part, because Harry didn't know either. How long would it take for him to find the Horcruxes with the interference of them, and how long until he could be safe again in that time? He'll know in a matter of seconds, but for these kids?_

"_Until I kill Lord Voldemort." Harry replied, "Until the world is safe."_

_They were sent off, with final instructions and good luck. Just like that, all seven of their lives are flipped upside down, in a single moment his dad made them give up everything for a mission._

_Well, if James was going on a mission, he has to go on _his_ mission._

"_Don't tell you real identities to them!" His dad shouted, hoping they'd hear or at least bright enough to come up with it "Go under false alias!"_

_James smirked, turned his own time turner behind his back, and swirled into a completely different place._

* * *

_September __**Year 1997 **__Forest in Britain_

* * *

_He woke up to the sound of boot hitting pavement._

_James quickly stood on guard, bringing out his wand and looked around. It didn't look familiar, the forest. Instead of the comfortable and whimsy feel he gets every time his family went camping, or the excitement of the Forbidden Forest, it was more eerie and mysterious. A chill went under his skin as he strained his ears for sound of human contact._

"Bloody hell_. Why don't we land in the house next time Malfoy?"_

_Malfoy._

"_Avery, clearly you lack the understanding of good mannerism. It is impolite to barge in on a house, perhaps if you're leading the group, you can choose to send them to their impending deaths."_

_Lucius Malfoy, James quickly registered the information in his mind. It didn't sound like the younger one in 1997, which means that it must have been the cult. James took a quick, scary breath as he gathered his thought. Did he really want to go through with this?_

_Yes._

_A smirk came upon his face as he gathered up his courage; he was a Gryffindor after all. With a quick disguise and voice change charm later, he was ready to go. James inched closer towards the cult site. Yes, he could see the white-ish blonde of Malfoy's hair, and it was coming closer…_

"_WOAH!" He managed to dodge a spell as it grazed him on the side, "Not fun."_

_The adult Draco Malfoy had a hard look upon his face and was advancing scarily, "State your name and business!"_

"_Uhh…" What was it that Lily always said about alias? Oh ya, make them have the same initials so it would be easier to remember, "Jeremiah." He swallowed hard, hoping they'd believe him. He excelled at occlumency, but he hasn't really test it out on foes quick yet, "Jeremiah Philippe, Just taking a stroll in the neighborhood."_

_Malfoy looked suspicious, and James didn't blame him. What kind of wizard just walks around in the middle of the forest?_

"_Look." He sighed, giving the best honest face that he hoped didn't look like he kill six puppies, "I'm a pure-blood, and I'm just looking about. My parents don't agree with Vold-The Dark Lord's beliefs, but I am willing to take part in his cause, so I ran away."_

_Sounds skeptical, he really should've prepared more._

"_Why should we trust you?" Draco asked, red sparks shooting dangerously out of his wand._

"_You really shouldn't, but on the other hand, I don't know who you are either." He crossed his arm in the pure-blood superior way. Draco looked incredulous, "You don't know who I am? Why you little f-"_

"_That's enough Draco." Even in his later years, the Malfoy boy have some problem, Lucius calmed his son and stepped up, "You wouldn't believe us if we told you."_

_James smirked inwardly, he knew who they were, which gave him an upper hand, "Try me."_

_Lucius looked amusingly back at his group of bewildered Death Cults, "I'm Lucius Malfoy." He extended a hand, "From the _future_."_

_James hoped disbelief was written across his face._

"_We took a Time Turner back from the Year 2024." He said lazily, flicking the titanium jewelry between his hand, "There was, ah, some complications regarding the Potter boy, and we thought it would be beneficial for the Dark Lord if we, shall we say, assisted him."_

_He looked smug for coming up with such a plan, but it was just as vague as the one his father came up with about stopping these specific Death Cults. There had to be more to the story, and it was up to James Sirius Potter to figure it out._

_Yeah, he liked using his full name to sound more dramatic, it helps for inner monologues like this._

"_Well, if you are telling the truth…" perfectly timed glare at Draco, "…then I wish to assist in any way possible."_

_Lucius looked as if he could be curling an evil mustache right now, but his face was well shaved, "I suppose it wouldn't be terrible if we allowed another."_

_Draco looked about to protest, but clearly didn't want to go against his dad, "Welcome, Jeremiah." Lucius snarled, "I hope you don't disappoint."_

_And that was his lovely initiation to the Death Cult._

* * *

_September __**Year 1997 **__Malfoy Manor_

* * *

"_It's good to be home." Lucius said. He looked fondly at his manor, as James struggled to hide his shudder. Although the first part is over, it was no way in any means the end. James felt sweaty and gross, two things he hated being._

"_Jeremiah." Lucius said and James snapped back to life, "Open the gate."_

"_Don't mind me asking Malfoy." James tried to sneer, adding the pure-blood superiority into his voice, "But how do you think you would react if you saw yourself in the future."_

"_I don't know if you notice Philippe. But I am _me_, and therefore I know exactly how I will react. Trust me when I say I know how to make myself believe."_

"_There's a tongue twister." James smirked, "Let's get on with it, shall we?"_

_Lucius plastered a fake smile upon his face, "We shall." Then turned upon his goons, "Remember," Lucius warned, "It could take days for us to convince them of our trustworthiness, so act appropriately."_

_His thick followers nodded their thick heads as James undid the protection spell around the Malfoy Manor. Surely an alarm of some sort would've sounded inside._

"_You'll be fine." He scowled himself, and then looked around because talking to oneself is probably not 'appropriate' behavior._

_A quick spell came from the right, and James had a huge sense of déjà vu as the younger Draco started storming in. Of course, the backup was right behind him, but the 17 year old boy seemed too excited for action, probably being stuffed in the house for the whole summer had something to do with that._

_This time James was prepared, or maybe it was just because Draco wasn't as good of a duelist when he was 17. He quickly blocked whatever spell thrown his way and disarmed the blonde boy._

"_Wha-" Draco looked surprised, though he really shouldn't be. James smirked and glared at him. Sweet, sweet payback._

"_Down Draco!" The younger Lucius Malfoy came up to him, looking very similar to the older Draco himself, "What is the meaning of t-"_

_He stopped short when looking at his older self._

"_We have a lot of explaining to attend to." Lucius smirked at the bewildered him, "Shall we?"_

* * *

_October __**Year 1997 **__Malfoy Manor_

* * *

"_Take the Mudblood into the cellar."_

_Bellatrix's nasty voice rang throughout the foyer, as James stepped his way into the light. Another kidnapping today? Fear ran through his blood as he thought about what, or rather whom, it might be._

_Please not Lily, please not Lily, please not Lily, and please not Lily._

_It wasn't, but it was close. Aunt Hermione's was ash white and unconscious, as James swallowed, hard. He couldn't react; he had to pretend nothing was wrong. There was a huge Death Eater meeting soon, and he couldn't afford to lose it._

Deep breath, deep, deep breath.

"_Madam Lestrange." He bowed ridiculously at the Death Eater princess. She scowled, obviously. Bellatrix wasn't quick to trust a lot, and her selective loyalty is what made her so powerful and feared of. He smiled charmingly though, playing his cards right._

"_May I take your coat?" he asked after a moment of silence. Bellatrix frowned._

"_Do I look like I need you to take my coat?" she sneered unpleasantly, screwing up her otherwise beautiful face, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a very important meeting to attend, one with only the Dark Lord's most _trusted_ and _exclusive_ followers." She said haughtily. He'd hate to burst her bubbles to say that he, the lowly sidekick of the Malfoys, was attending as well._

_Actually, he doesn't._

"_Well, we must get going."_

_She turned around, looking incredulously and outraged, "_You're_ going to the meeting?" James was satisfied at her high pitched voice. The sweet, sweet sound of discomfort._

"_Shall we?"_

_She scowled once more and followed him, whether she'd like to admit it or not._

* * *

"_Hermione." He whispered into the cellar._

_It wasn't James' turn to guard the cellar, he made sure of that. He couldn't afford to let the prisoners go under his watch, it was too risky. With just enough luck, he could blame it on Peter Pettigrew, that stinkin' rat._

"_Hermione." He afforded to speak a little louder. The bushy brunette looked startled as he entered the cellar._

"_Don't come near me." Her voice sounded frail, James winced. It was a few hours after Snape's trial and Bellatrix would've taken her anger out on someone. It was close, and the meeting was a huge relief for James, as Snape's survival is the key to his father's survival, but there was the downside._

_Huge gashes were slashed into the Gryffindor girl's arms. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was stumbled to meet James. Her wand wasn't with her, of course, James stole it away in his pocket._

"_It's alright, 'mione, I'm not going to hurt yo-"_

"_What's going on here?"_

_Crap._

_Draco Malfoy, the older one, stood behind him looking perplexed at the scene. James' brain started whirling at fast speed, but if he had heard anything at all…_

"_Mr. Malfoy." He started, "I just-"_

_Draco stared at James, then Hermione, then James again, and seemed to understand the situation. Hermione is shooting dagger at the older boy; no amount of words can express the amount of hatred ran through that look. Of course, this was the boy, who tormented her for her blood since she was eleven, whose father worked for the man that killed James and Lily (Sr.), who played a part in Dumbledore's murder._

"Malfoy_." She said coldly, shivering back to the corner, more urgently than it was with James, "Just-just stay back."_

_Malfoy's stony look was hard to read, but to James' surprise, he didn't reach for his wand to kill the both of them on the spot._

"_Leave." He said quickly, "You have her wand, right? We should move quick."_

_What now?_

_James called back to this situation many times in the next few hours, but none of it made any sense. Draco Malfoy was setting Hermione Granger free, against his father and master's wishes. Furthermore, he didn't even bat an eyelash at James' betrayal._

"_Mr. Malfoy." He started again once they've sent a shaken Hermione past the Manor. She's pretty bright and should be alright from then on, "I don't, I just, I-"_

"_I get the sense that you're not really Jeremiah Philippe." Malfoy said simply, "It's fine though, just don't ever speak of this again."_

_He didn't, but Malfoy never said anything about thinking about this._

* * *

_November __**Year 1997 **__Malfoy Manor_

* * *

_His father's package taunted him. It lay un-open in his room at the Manor. James rarely had any time to really decorate the place, being a double-crossing minion of a dark sorcerer who wanted to destroy his dad was really a full time job. Whenever he did catch the sight of the burlap bag, with whatever secret his dad intrusted him in it, he felt a stinging urge of curiosity. It was like Pandora's Box (excuse him, _pithos)_, except hopefully his dad didn't imprison some bad luck charm on it._

_What was it supposed to prove anyways? What could possibly be held in a bag about the size of a big apple or a small orange? How was it supposed to justify sending Lily, Rose, and all of the other kids on this dangerous, dangerous quest?_

_Now he really wanted to open it._

_Bella had been breathing down his neck ever since Hermione escaped. They successfully blamed it on Wormtail; after all, Malfoy held a much higher position than he did. No one ever dreamed of him betraying the Dark Lord, and there he was, as much of a traitor as James was, though maybe not quite so, because at least his father wasn't the Dark Lord's enemy._

_Now he was going crazy, calling Voldemort the Dark Lord and Bellatrix Lestrange Bella. He needed to set his goals right again._

_Stupid, _stupid_, package._

_After a particularly gruesome day of 'Harry Hunting', as James nicknamed it, he flopped onto his bed. He rarely had time to himself and was starting to miss the solitude of 12 Grimmauld Place, well, as much solitude as he can get with a fifteen year old sister. He was going to move out soon, actually, but of course, the mission changed everything._

_The bag was upon his bedside table, all the other Death Eaters knew the value of privacy, and didn't bother him about it. The familiar pan of longing hit him, but he force to let it go._

_He wasn't going to ask his dad for help, not after what he did._

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

_Did Lily really just got herself tied up like that? What was she thinking? Going to Hogsmeade of all places._

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

_They freed her, somehow and some way, they had to of course. Draco again helped, so it wasn't just because of Hermione as James suspected. He helped with their escape, and because Kreacher was there, they were lucky to get of the second time. The Death Eaters working at Grimmauld Place weren't so lucky. They were charged severely for letting Kreacher go. Of course, they would underestimate the house elf's power. They were dead._

_He didn't feel bad, but he felt a little bad about not feeling bad. He knew that one of the Death Eaters ended up living after the war, escaped Azkaban or death, and eventually killed Al. How was he supposed to feel guilty after someone who potentially killed his own brother?_

_Still…it didn't feel like whoever Voldemort killed was directly responsible. James would've felt it if it lead to Al being alive, he knew he would. He clenched his fist hard until it turned snow white and almost starting bleeding. James wasn't violent, but he was sure having some violent thought._

_Lily was captured, and if she let her guard down again, there was no way James could help her._

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

_It was his dad's fault. He shouldn't have let her go on this dangerous quest to begin with. Of course, he would've had a reason to send his only daughter off to the past; he reason that was staring at him in a burlap sack._

_He can't contain the curiosity much longer. With a sneaky glance to make sure no Death Eater or Cult Members or Bella (who he categorized on her own) was nearby, he gingerly pulled open the flap. Instead, after layers of insulation and protective charm was a…glass ball._

_He recognized them, not just from Divination class (oh god no, he didn't take them, but he was sent to deliver something to Professor Patil), but also from the Department of Mystery._

_A Prophecy._

_He gulped. Underneath the glass ball was its holder thingy thing, reading: made by _E. Gardner_, as heard by _H. Potter._ His dad has personally heard this. The big prophecy regarding Harry shaped the entire Wizarding history, could this one possibly contain Lily? Or all seven of them? Did he want to know?_

_Yes._

_The glass ball swirled, misty fog made what seemed to be a random pattern at first glance, but it turned into…a girl. With far away looking eyes and light hair, the fog could only depict black and white images, but James still couldn't help but feel that she should look familiar._

"The Dark Lord's fate is not yet locked; his cult shall rise and reverse the clock. The children of the seven shall be offered this quest; to turn back the time and preserve what's right. The ending is the new beginning as the titanium is turned. Death escaped again as two worlds will merge._"_

_What. The. Hell._

_Not only did the prophecy rhyme (James didn't trust rhymes), but it explained absolutely nothing. E. Gardner what's her face faded into nothing as the glass ball turned dim, to be read again at a later date._

_James had the impulsive urge to smash the glass into the wall, but it'll probably cause alarm to his neighbors. Instead he just stared down at the crystal ball and cursed under his breath._

_Most of it is pretty simple, it was obvious his cult referred to the Death Cult, and the Titanium Time Turner is used for him to rise again, perhaps. But what about the ending-beginning crap, the two world merging, or the children of the seven?_

_It did make sense, in his old days, Harry talked about his five best friends, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville, and later when Draco wised up and stopped cursing them, he sort of joined their group as well (awkwardly, but being one of the only sons of a former Death Eater, he's got to be friends with someone). That would be the seven. James and Lily were the children of Harry and Ginny, Rose and Hugo to Ron and Hermione, Aly, Scorpius, and Lysander and Luna's close relationship despite being step-relatives…_

_That was why Harry had to have the seven of them travel back in time, and why it was specifically those seven. Us, James thought, we have a prophecy._

_This time he really did smash the glass into the wall, not carrying about his broken lamp and cursing neighbours._

_It seemed that he just have to do everything_

* * *

_December __**Year 1997 **__Forest in Britain_

* * *

_James took a nose dive into the cold water._

_It wasn't a coincidence that the place they just happen to be scouting was the hiding place for the Sword of Gryffindor. He had spent most of his free time, if not mulling over the stupid prophecy, searching for the sword. He knew it was a pond in the Forest of Dean, but really, the forest was huge._

_He convinced his Death Eater buddies (ha) to patrol the area, stating that this is where Harry and co. stayed on their hunt. Obviously, they're not so dim as to repeat this again, after the whole Bellatrix kidnapping Hermione fiasco, but these people were very thick. He suddenly felt very offended being grouped with them._

_Well, being low rank has its benefits, but James didn't plan to stay here for much longer. He had to climb, climb, and climb, if he was ever going to figure out Voldemort's whole plan. The end is the new beginning, whatever that means, it was the only part of the prophecy that James didn't get._

_He found the puddle, miraculously somehow, and braced himself for the swim. He was a Gryffindor, so it should work right? His thoughts were jumbled up as he forced himself to rip off his winter jacket, and shirt. Now half-naked and shivering, he was seriously regretting this._

"_Come on James." He taunted himself, "Don't quit."_

_Again, he took a nose dive into the water._

_Ice, ice was everything and nowhere at the same time, shooting up his nose and into his eyes. James could barely see from the bubbles he made and prayed the Death Eaters won't come. Of course they won't, stupid and thick people._

_He made a grab for the shining ruby at the bottom of the pool, but he underestimated it. It was far deeper than it seemed. James got a little more used to the water, and started waving his arm to try and swim longer. His lungs called out for sweet, sweet oxygen, but his brain told him to move on. The quicker the better._

_Kicking his feet at nothing, he streamed down to the bottom of the pool. The silver gleamed in ice and he easily scooped it up. The hard part was over, now he had to get up._

_Breaking free of the water, James' head bopped up and was glad to see his clothes where he left them, dry and undisturbed. He quickly hid the sword, to be packed into his endless bag for later usage. He wasn't sure what he can do with the sword, but since Harry obviously doesn't have it, that would be it next move._

"_OI!" He heard a call from the left, and froze as the other Death Eaters came in, "Why are you all wet?"_

_James felt the icy water dripping down his side, and knew there was no way to deny it. Confundos spell? Crap his wand was still in his jeans pocket, as the Death Eaters drew theirs and stood on guard._

"_I fell in." he said stupidly. Ya, without his clothes._

"_You know what I think?" The first Death Eater snickered, "I think you're not who you said you were." James involuntarily glanced at his bag, which didn't go unnoticed by the Death Eaters._

"_I-" No excuse, the Death Eater, gosh James can't remember his name? Alex something?_

"_Avery, just finish him off now, the Dark Lord won't mind." Avery, right…_

"_Not yet, we'll have to see what's in that precious bag of his." Avery turned his dark eyes upon James, "Your move boy."_

_James stood numbly, wishing he put on his clothes quicker or something, but he'd still be wet, "I-"_

_Saved by the bell, as Avery's left arm began to burn, "You're lucky boy." He sneered, "The Dark Lord wants us back, but I'm on to you."_

_James gulped. No way could he contact with anyone without Avery AND Bellatrix on his back. He slowly followed them, tossing on a shirt and his pack. The other two Death Eaters stared at him sideways, but didn't dare to speak out of turn with their leader. They disparate into darkness, as James followed; his bag and heart both heavier than ever._

* * *

_He tried really hard not to contact anyone._

_Really, he didn't talk to Draco about it, even though he was sort of his dad's friend and sort of a good guy, it was just weird. He should have known about the prophecy though, and maybe he's a double agent as well._

_There goes James' main purpose in life._

_They came really close to finding Harry sometimes, on their trips, but Harry would always try to throw them off. Sometimes they were stupid enough to mess up the directions on their own; sometimes a simple nudge was all it takes. So far he was doing well, and although Bella is still wary of him, she'll turn around soon._

_Then came Christmas._

_They were scouting, looking, seeking, the usual tactics and stuff, when James realized the date. Apparently evil people don't celebrate the holidays, because there were three other Death Eaters with him, and not at all complaining. As his last Christmas didn't go exactly well, being the first one without Al, he wasn't looking forward to the holiday either._

_Until he saw a flash of red by the sea._

_They were doing boarder guard to ensure Harry doesn't flee the country, and how lucky were they to stumble across Lily. Why would she even go out of the protective shield? At least he thought it was a protective shield, since no one else is in sight. He cursed underneath his breath._

"_You guys go ahead." He told them to enter deeper in the forest, away from Lily, "I've got to rest for a bit."_

_One of them looked sympathetic, which is crazy because Death Eaters are all evil, as far as James concerns, "It's the holidays, kids, catch up with us at the rendezvous point."_

_James nodded, and as soon as they were safely out of sight, he counted to ten and made his way down the beach, accidentally tripping on a branch. Lily perked up, typical cliché thing to do when a twig snaps. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, but she was too much in shock and started screaming, kicking, and whatnot. He had to clamp his hand around her to ensure the Death Eaters don't hear. Unfortunately, she bit him. James had never felt so proud of her to make that trick up, but never so annoyed because now he was sort of bleeding._

"_OW!" He yelped._

"_LET ME GO YOU STUPID OAF!" She called again as James hastily dragged her into the bushes, safe and out of sight._

"_Nice to see you too sis." He mumbled as Lily truly started looking at him. Bewildered and dumbstruck._

"_James?"_

_He wasn't sure why he was so impulsive to grab her in the first place. Maybe the combination of Christmas and not sure whether or not she was alive made him do rash things. He really did miss her. Lils didn't look that good, paler and thinner than usual, combined with tattered clothing and dirty hair; it made her look like a dirty rag doll._

"_Hey Lils'." James smiled. He was so glad to see her, at least she was alive, and for now, safe._

_His feeling of happiness didn't last long; as Lily started throwing everything she can at him. When she finally calmed down two hours later (or so it seemed), she demanded to know everything. James told her, everything except for the prophecy, which seems to heavy for Lily to bare._

_Don't be ridiculous, Harry heard of the prophecy in his fifth year._

_Yes, but in reality, Lily haven't even started her fifth year yet._

_He hinted the prophecy a little though; telling her there was probably something more to Voldemort's plans. The whole the end is the new beginning thing is really creeping him out._

"_Isn't their whole plan to kill dad and make sure Vold-You-Know-Who's reign of terror continues?" Lily retorted_

_James sighed, "There's something more to it, I figured."_

"_You figured?" Lily cried. Continuing to throw rocks at him. He barely calmed her down again. Sheesh, after seeing your MIA brother back in action after a few months, one would think Lily would be happier. But James supposed an abandonment issue is something all Potter kids have. She lost Al, then James._

_He justified his actions though; he had to without feeling the horrible pit of emptiness inside his stomach. He justified everything he did and made it seem like he was doing the right thing._

_For the greater good._

_She figured out things quickly, that he freed them at the Manor. He didn't bother adding the part about Malfoy because it seemed too ridiculous, even as James thought about it at that moment. Her eyes lit up as she started to form an idea inside her head. James knew that look…_

"_I've got to go with you." Lily decided as she moved past James towards the beaches again. He totally expected this, but it doesn't been he was still panicking. Once Lily stayed at a restaurant for the whole night because they didn't serve strawberry ice-cream, and mum had to conjure it secretly because they went to a muggle place. It was awfully weird explaining that they somehow had ice-cream in their purses. So ya, she was pretty stubborn._

"_No!" James panicked; having his little sister tag along was not part of the plan. Lily was smart and everything, but he couldn't risk losing her. "I can't have something happen to you. It, it's too painful." He sighed._

_Lily glared, "You mean like what happened to you?" She demanded, "How did you think I felt?"_

_Justifying…._

_Nope, not even working._

"_I'm sorry." James stuttered, not meeting his sister's eyes, which were gleaming green and furious. How could he let her go? It was just like dad, being too good of a guy and working for the greater good, "But if they had caught you, like Hermione."_

_They switched the subject for a bit, but Lily was persistent. What else did he expect? The girl was related to him? "Don't try to change the topic." Lily smirked, "I'm going with you. I'll get a stupid mark or something if I have to, you're not leaving again."_

_James sighed, "It's my mission, Lils. And I can't risk your life for this. Death Eaters are constantly roaming, You-Know-Who shows up every other day, killing whoever displeases him, and Lucius and Bella…"_

_Lily protested, "You'll need help, and I'm expert at getting what I want."_

_James whistled, "I'm not in their good books right now, the Death Eaters or the cult, in fact…" he checked his watch, "We're supposed to be patrolling the perimeter for any activity, it's the boarder and they want to catch the people trying to flee the country." He settled to walk out of the forest, but Lily pulled his back._

"_You seriously think you can get away that easily?" Lily had the whole 'bitch-please' look written all over her face, "Come on James, I can handle it!"_

"_You haven't even passed your OWLs." James said bitterly, "Dad should've let you come on this mission in the first place."_

_Ouch._

_He probably shouldn't have said that._

_Lily was blinking back tears, and James didn't know how to handle crying girls, but it was true. His boggart wasn't his family dying, because honestly, they've done enough for seven lifetimes, but his sister's dead corpse that truly sets him off. Lily look offended at this, so clearly she wasn't seeing it the way he did, but James didn't want to say how protective he was without sounding like a wuss._

"_Please James." She gave her puppy dog look, and was totally tearing up, "You can't leave me here." Tears pushed past like a water over a dam and streamed down. James panicked for a moment._

"_Uhhh, Lils." He said uneasily, "Please not cry."_

_Lily screwed up her face, "I was so worried." She wailed, James look back to make sure that the Death Eaters aren't coming. Shoot, he was running out of time, "I don't want to lose you again!"_

_Wait a second…_

_If James was afraid of being a prissy to say that he was overprotective of Lily, then the ginger girl was definitely not going to reveal something this sappy. Comprehension came and he knew her whole entire plan, which was admittedly genius on anyone else but him, "I know what you're doing Lils." He sighed, pulling away from her and retreating away, "But I've got to go. Only staying undercover will I be able to find out their true plan, and seriously…" he joked, "the food is terrible."_

_She stopped crying immediately._

"_Fine." She mumbled, "But you better not die." She really did tear up a little, but it was gone as quickly as it came._

_He hated that blasted holiday._

"_I'll try." James laughed lightly, and then, remembered the reason he didn't contact her sooner. "What is it?" She asked as James started fumbling through his bag._

"_The sword of Gryffindor." James said, pulling a long silver sword out of the small knapsack, "I had a feeling it'll come in handy."_

_She stared at it for a second, and James thought she would say something like "wow, you're a real hero James', or 'I'll give you my dessert for a whole week."_

"_Thanks." She said flatly, and secured the sword at her belt. They said their goodbyes and hugged awkwardly, knowing very well that they won't see each other again for a long while. James swallowed._ They'll get through this mission, but not together.

* * *

April **Year 1998 **near Malfoy Manor

* * *

He wasn't sure if he was being followed or what, but James took the risk. It has been two weeks since he promised Lily he'll scout out the Weasleys, but really he was after an alternative person by the name of Draco Malfoy.

Mr. Malfoy spent his spare times in the town near Malfoy Manor with his Death Eater friends, as weird as it sounds. Everyone's got to have a little downtime now and then, and Mr. Malfoy just happen to spend his pretending to be a Death Eater and drinking Fire Whiskey.

Absolutely normal.

He had taken all the precautions to make sure he couldn't be caught, yet for two weeks he haven't managed to bump into the blonde Slytherin yet. Mr. Malfoy was being cautious, probably because of James' daring escape from the manor. After all, no one quits being a Death Eater, and if Mr. Malfoy is really deflected, he had to step around everything now.

Today he was luckier, as James crouched behind the wall and looking through a crack in the wood. Draco decided to come about town and gave some very convincing glares towards the half-bloods who worked there. They whimpered as he grabbed a chair with the others, Notts, Avery, and whoever else, James didn't try to remember them too much.

He waited, until Draco was alone.

It was a huge risk, considering that Draco might not even help him, but James knew that he can't just blindly scout for the Weasleys. He couldn't find them randomly; they'd make sure of that. Instead, he needed a way to scare Lily into going home.

What a lovely brother he was.

_Well, I'm doing this or her good, _James argued, but it didn't shake the guilt.

Notts and Avery got up to pay for the drinks, and James saw his chance. He casually walked by, painfully aware that the shop owner was looking at him suspiciously, but he waved it off.

"Mr. Malfoy, it's a pleasure to meet you!" James sat at the blonde man's booth, startling him, "Such a chance of fate."

Draco shrugged and took a sip, "I take it you know my reputation, so I suggest you leave before I change my mind of taking mercy on you."

James shrugged, "I'm just taking a stroll through the neighborhood."

That was the first thing he said, and Draco seemed to remember it too. The former Slytherin narrowed his grey eyes, but James didn't flinch, "My name is James." He further continued, "Please to meet you."

Gears were turning inside Draco's mind, as he finally came to the realization, "Potter." He said, with a neutral tone that suggests he carefully put aside anger and frustration, "You're Philippe?"

"The one and only." James shrugged; hoping he looked nonchalant and that Draco don't just curse him off of the face of the planet.

"Well, that makes things more interesting." Draco took another sip, "I supposed you're here to ask about the prophecy."

James froze; this wasn't what he was expecting to hear.

"Sir, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right, Potter, I'm one of the seven, obviously you know what I'm talking about. Potter, the older one, gave it to you before the little mission, am I correct?" Draco spoke with arrogance that suggests he already knew the answer.

"Right." James nodded, "But that's not why I'm-"

"Well, I can't help you there." He either didn't hear that James had spoken, or chose not to care, James bet his whole yearly salary that it was the second one, "Most of it is weird, and it rhymes, I mean, what was Ella thinking?"

Ella? James didn't know any Ella, but it sounded weirdly familiar.

"Ella Gardner." James said slowly, "She spoke the prophecy."

"A weird girl she was." Draco tried as he strained his memories, "Never knew what happened to her."

James shook his head, it was weird, he knew the prophecy was a huge part of the mission, they reason they were here really, being the children of the 'seven' anyways. But the conversation took that turn completely unexpectedly. Why was he here again?

Right, to get Lily home.

"I'm hoping you can do me a favor, Sir." He spoke politely, "Not about the prophecy, but I'm afraid that the mission has taken a…ahh, unpleasant twist."

Draco looked at him expectantly. James swallowed.

"We've...ehh…lost them." James said lamely.

Draco didn't speak for a moment, but took another sip of his Fire Whiskey; seriously, he can really handle that stuff. James can drink a few glasses in one night, but not all at once.

"Tell me Potter." He said, "What day is it tomorrow?"

He blinked.

"May 1st?" He answered.

"What exactly happens on May the 1st?"

The answer dawned upon him, "The Battle of Hogwarts."

Draco nodded, "History has its way to balance things out, so if it is correct, Harry Potter and his friends will be at Hogwarts tomorrow to battle it out, whether they succeed or not, well, you can change that."

There was still so much Harry didn't know, the diadem of Ravenclaw, how to kill Nagini, the Deathly Hallow and Snape's alliance. There was still a lot to do, James swallowed, maybe Lily was right, but how could he risk his sister's life _for the greater good?_

"A lot to think about, but I suggest you get going." Draco said, "Notts and Avery are coming, and I don't really want to be seen with a lowly peasant, no offense."

* * *

**SO!**

**I know you have questions on Snape, but he's ultimately a good guy, tracking down Harry to save him but Bellatrix got in the way and blah and blah. I wanted to clear that up. I don't see him as a true good guy, but you know, the world isn't split between good guys and death eaters, that's what the characters (especially Rose) had to figure out. Snape isn't going to kill Harry at the end, but he isn't going to make everything super easy for him. He's supposed to tell Harry to sacrifice himself at the end, remember? So ya, That's Snape, I guess...**

**THANK YOU TO ALL REVIEW! I PROMISE I SHALL REPLY TO YOU MORE OFTEN BECAUSE MY BRAIN IS FUZZY TODAY FROM ALL THE EXAM REVIEWS! I will DEFINITELY keep up the replies next time (a week is usually the update date, right?). Yes I will be powering through exams because I am a huge procrastinator and I only have like 5 exams anyways (actually a lot more than it sounds, but whatever). I'll keep y'all posted and I have TONS OF STUFF TO GET THROUGH! SO EXCITED!**

**~Lilies**


	20. XVIII: So Much To Do, So Little Time

**OKAY OKAY OKAY!**

**I know I am super late, but I am still writing. Last week was hectic with all the exams [insert generic excuse about it], but NOW IT'S SUMMER TIME! Me and my friends went out for Korean and I got a Bazinga t-shirt, so I was in a really good mood and decided to spread it all of you, in case you forgot, this is want happened last time since i saw you (like five years ago)**

On the day of the mission, James decided that his efforts would be better spent spying within the Death Eaters. His work didn't go wasted as he managed to free Hermione, help Harry, Lily, Ron, Lysander and Scorpius escape, and find the Sword of Gryffindor. Along the way, James opened a package given to him before he left on the mission by his father. A Prophecy, made by Ella Gardner, a time traveler/Seer who got herself stuck in the past because of the stupid Whomping Willow (but he doesn't now that). In present day, James went to see Draco in hopes that his appearance will convince Lily to return to their times, as the Weasleys have sucessfully escaped from a trap laid out by the Death Eaters, involving Rose and a galleon, but instead he is convinced to take the time travelers to the Battle of Hogwarts in assisting Harry and friends to defeat the Dark Arts.

**Ya, I know, confusing, if this is too weird for you, I suggest re-reading some of the chapters, good ones would be...**

**Chapter 13: In the Nick of Time**

**Chapter 14: Last Day on Earth**

**Chapter 16: Wrong Place, Wrong Time**

**and**

**Life and Time of James Potter, a special short story describing where the hell James went!**

**I hope that helps ^)^**

**Wow I just invented a new smiley face O_o**

**HEY! MAJOR MONOGRAM EMOTICON ^^)**

**Yep, I need a life...**

* * *

**Chapter 18: So Much To Do, So Little Time**

* * *

The Dark Lord's fate is not yet locked

His cult shall rise and reverse the clock

The children of the seven shall be offered this quest

To turn back the time and preserve what's right

The ending is the new beginning as the titanium is turned

Death escaped again as two worlds will merge

* * *

May **Year 1998 **Forest in Britain

* * *

James came back just a few minutes after noon. Lily hugged her brother as fiercely as she dared without James yelling in disgust, but after a few moments, she let go realizing that the Weasleys were not with him.

"Where are they?" Lily shouted, looking around as if her dad will pop up magically behind a rock or something.

James swallowed hard, "I-I don't know." He admitted.

Lily felt like punching something, hard, but James put a hand in front of his body in both defense and as if trying to explain something.

"I should've told you this a long time ago." James said, pulling his backpack beside him and going through it, looking for something, "There's something you should know."

* * *

Lysander always thought that the mission was sort of crazy, but now he found it to be absolutely suicidal.

Before the Prophecy, there was no pressure, obviously he's got to complete it, but Lysander always figured that he can turn his back upon it and maybe someone else can pick up the slack. He wouldn't, of course, but still. Now it's up to him, plus the others, to save the entire Wizarding world. He never felt more sympathetic towards his Uncle Harry, Lysander had backup, he couldn't imagine how Uncle Harry could've done it all on his own.

Then there was a problem, the Prophecy is about the child of the seven, meaning Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville and Draco, but Lysander wasn't any of that. His mother left him when he was young, and though he was closer with Luna than he ever really was with his father (unlike his brother Lorcan), there was still no blood relation. Not to mention that Aly is gone, meaning that there is no one to take her place, the seven was down to six.

Maybe that was part of the mission? The prophecy never said that all seven of them were sure to survive, so maybe Aly dying was the right thing to do? Now that Neville and Luna together, Lysander was sure not to be part of the seven. Even so, Luna's memory was still sharp in his mind, like Aly had never put a spin fate and changed the entire outcome.

Sighing, Lysander packed up the rest of the tent. They were due to apparate to Hogwarts in a few moments. Beside him, Rose was humming contently, way different than a few days ago when she was stressing about the tracker, and how they found the Weasley family. Lysander wondered what changed her mind.

He didn't have to look very far, because the Slytherin himself came, gave Rose a hug huge. Silly grin was written all over their faces. There was no doubt that they were in love, and being Rose's best friend, Lysander should be happy, and well…he's trying.

"Hey, pick up the pace will ya!" Lily's voice came from outside of the tent. Without another glance at the star-crossed lovers, Lysander sighed towards himself. This was it, the Battle of Hogwarts, as if the last year didn't matter at all if they managed to survive this one.

* * *

May **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

The first second Lysander arrived at Hogwarts, he felt a sudden chill.

"Dementors." Rose said redundantly, "Though I doubt there are other barrier towards the castle."

She was right, beyond what the six could see was a battlefield of sparks. Blue, red, purple, and even some evil greens glimmered. It was close to midnight now, only a few hours to go. He wasn't sure how the Battle started, for in the last lifetime, it had been after Voldemort discovered the robbing of Gringotts, perhaps it was because of Bellatrix and the other Death Eater's failure to bring back Harry Potter that he started to worry. All that aside, the universe worked itself out, for the Battle commenced. Rose was right, this was the height of the battle, and in a few moments, Voldemort would call on Snape, and Harry…

"We've got to split up." Lysander said, "There is still a lot of ground to cover, and we still have one Horcrux left." Nagini, he thought, they need someone to get Neville, and other team to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione…

He looked over to Lily, their unspoken leader for a while. It might be weird for some to look up to a fifteen year old, but Lily was wise beyond her years, even though she was a bit annoying at time, she was loud and full of confidence. Though currently, the ginger girl whimpered at the sight of Hogwarts's destruction, and cling on to her brother's arm like she was seven.

James coughed, he was the oldest after all, "Right, we need to split up, Lysander's right…" He pulled out a necklace that Lysander recognized as the Titanium Time Turner. Lily had one in her hand, as well as Rose.

"Three teams." James said, "So if something goes wrong, we can always…"

What? Give up? Go back to the future and face the consequences? It was a way out, but it was cheap. Lysander didn't disagree though, because they couldn't just split out into individuals.

"Rose and I will be the re-enforcements." Scorpius declared suddenly, then, without the consent of their leader or Lysander, he grabbed a startled Rose's hand and disappeared into the Castle.

James sighed, "I guess that's that…"

"Lysander and I will find Neville." Lily said suddenly, a bit of color returning to her face. There has been a lot of stress on her, especially, since the Prophecy was read, "And find the Sword of Gryffindor, I guess."

James looked as if he was about to protest, but something held them back, "Be careful." He said instead.

Lily didn't reply, "Hugo, you go with James." The younger boy looked happier to be put with such an accomplished Auror, "Find Harry and tell him about Snape, urge him to go to the Shrieking Shack if he had not."

With a last look at her brother, Lily grabbed a hold of Lysander's hand. It was clammy, he found it to be surprising, because sweating meant someone was nervous, and the Lily Luna Potter he knew was _never _nervous.

"It's alright." He comforted awkwardly.

"I know." Lily smiled, though shakily, "See you when it's all over." She told her brother.

The last thought before Lysander vanished in the Battle was wondering when it will ever be over.

* * *

"What the hell Scorpius?"

Rose was not amused as she shook free of her boyfriend's hand. She was insecure of why Scorpius even bothers to date her half of the time, and fuming at him the other half, and this was the latter.

"Just stay down." Scorpius told her, and Rose took a look at her surrounding for the first time. The Great Hall, where they've set up a sort of safe house from the Death Eaters, filled with the injured; she figured that the Death Eaters didn't bother to come here because everyone was as good as dead.

"Why are we here?" She asked, "I thought we were the re-enforcements."

"Rephrasing that, you're staying here." Scorpius told her, his eyes looked a bit scared for a moment as Rose stopped the retort at her tongue, "Be safe."

"I'll be safe, but you won't be." She told him, "Blimey Scorpius, you think I'm just going to let you go out there by yourself!"

"And you think I'm letting you out there!" As if to prove his point, a scary spark emitted from outside of the Hall and hit one of candles, creating a miniature explosion. The source? Rose did not know if it was a friend or a foe, "Please." He pleaded, "Just stay safe."

"No." Rose said stubbornly, "I won't be treated like a weak Damsel in Distress!"

"You're not!" Scorpius quickly retorted, "I just…" he trailed off, looking down, Rose waited for his response, but knowing what it'll be anyways, "I'm not going to live without you."

"And I'm not going to live without you." Rose wrinkled his nose, "That sounded really cheesy."

Scorpius shrugged, "I'm fine with that."

She smiled despite all, because that's what they do. Despite being from rival families and rival houses and have rival morals, they smile. "See you in the Battlefield!" She called, and ran outside to her doom.

* * *

"Right, where is Harry." James pondered; Hugo trailed behind awkwardly, struggling to keep up with the obviously taller and faster man.

"James! Wait up!" He called, "James!"

Either he didn't hear her, or he pretended not to, because James was casting random hexes at Death Eaters, clearing a way for them. Two already fell, unconscious, and one looked as if he was bleeding to death. Hugo was a little scared at how quickly James was to dismiss them.

"I can help!" He yelled, "I have an idea-oof!" He tripped on a large rock and fell, hitting his chin hard on the ground, "Who blew up half of the wall-"

He stopped short; the wall explosion seemed all too familiar. James stopped too, looking at the destruction, "You don't think-?" Hugo started.

"They're going to pay." James clenched his knuckle. It doesn't look like it exploded any time recently, but the damage was already done. They grew up without the other half of the Weasley twins; it shouldn't be too traumatic as they watch his death place. Still, Hugo swallowed and couldn't help a trickle of tear running down his cheek. He whipped it off and stood up.

"They are." He decided, but looking at James, he figured they meant completely different things. Augustus Rookwood, the man responsible, was put in Azkaban after the War, but as Hugo watched James, it was clear the Potter boy had sometime much worse.

"We've got to find my dad." James shuddered, immediately going to Battle mode, "They shouldn't be too far off, since they were here for-" He didn't finish, but Hugo knew what it meant.

"There." Hugo said pointing at the Trio, Percy Weasley was long gone, probably delivering the news to his poor, poor family, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat there, shielded from the War and discussing within themselves.

"Come on." James sighed, and took off at a jog, "Hermione! Ron!"

Hermione Granger looked up and within two seconds, James was pinned to the floor in a heap of ropes, Hugo gasped as he was caught in the mess too, and collapsed on the floor.

"Jason!" Her voice shrilled, "How dare you-!"

Of course, they thought that James was a traitor; Hermione probably thought that it was because of James, Lily and co. that they found Harry by the Burrow, and he screaming out their names in a crowd of Death Eaters was not a good sign either.

"Blimey Hermione." Ron stood behind her, their shoulder was touching and they looked slightly closer than as if they were friends, with a startle Hugo realized that his parents just got together a few moments before. He wasn't sure if he felt relieved or disgusted.

"Nice to see you too." James joked; Hugo wanted to hit him over with a frying pan.

"What do you want?" Harry spoke from behind them, "We're in the middle of a Battle, and the last time we saw you, you left us in the smokes."

"After tying up all the Death Eaters and leading them away from the Burrow." James said, "You guys escaped successfully; am I correct?"

Hermione was speechless, Hugo was slightly impressed, but he also feared for James' life.

"Fine." Hermione decided, "Let's say you're on our side, what do you want?"

James and Hugo exchanged glances, "First of all, let us go, and secondly…we know where Voldemort is."

* * *

Lily's eyes were peeled, searching in every crook and cranny of the place, and she couldn't help but to feel a little bit…trapped. This was Hogwarts, the home for all the young witches and wizards, the beginning of their Wizarding careers, but it felt sinister, evil even. Lily shuddered at a sudden coldness.

"Dementors." Lysander spoke, as they saw the floating black figures at afar. They were too far to sense Lily and Lysander's presence, but the duo can sense theirs. They crept by slowly and entered one of the main staircase areas.

"We'll never find Neville." Lily sighed hopelessly; there were hundreds of people, Hogwartians and Death Eaters alike, the Gryffindor they were looking for was nowhere in sight, "Now with that many people here!"

Lysander was quiet for a second that Lily almost thought he got stunned by one of the spells, but he was staring at someone across the hall.

"Your step-mother." She said.

All the Potter kids grew up dreaming of meeting their namesake, but Lily's the only one who can do so. Luna Lovegood stood across the hallway, sending Patronuses after Patronuses at the incoming Dementors, successfully scaring them off. Lily wondered briefly what memory she was using before Lysander started down the stairs.

"Ly!" She called, blocking off the spells and calling for him was proven not to be easy when done at the same time, "Wait up!"

He made it across the room, miraculously, as they face Luna; the blonde girl wasn't surprised when he coughed.

"Hello." She smiled, unaware of the destruction behind her, "Are you Death Eaters?"

"No?" Lily answered; she looked over at Lysander, who looked as if he just saw a ghost. Ya, when Lily first saw her 17 year old father, it wasn't pretty either, but they had many similarities. The Luna in the future was a bit more guarded, perhaps after the strained marriage with Rolf Scamander, Lysander's dad, but the Luna of the current had a happy spark in her eyes, probably from the Patronuses.

"I'm Lacey, and this is Lenny." Lily introduced themselves, "We're Rose and Hugo's friends."

Luna looked mild, "Of course, you have that whole time traveler look about you."

Lily wasn't sure what that meant; then again, she never knew what Luna meant. One thing that hasn't changed over the years was her eccentricity, something Lily both admired and is confused by.

"We need to find Neville; there is something very important we need to tell him." Lysander finally spoke, but his eyes were clouded, "Do you know someone named Rolf Scamander?"

Luna shrugged, "I'm not sure, I don't know a lot of people in the school."

Lily almost wanted to face palm, why did Lysander go and say that? "Lenny, we need to find Neville."

"He's over there, guarding the entrance to the Great Hall." Luna pointed at the brunet boy, then, after a brief pause, "We're dating now."

Silence, well, as much of a silence when there was a bloody war going on in the background, Lily looked over at Lysander, was his future changing now, just as Aly? Obviously, since Luna wasn't Lysander's birth mom, he still exists, but Lily wondered about his memories, would they be affected?

If he changed at all, Lysander didn't show, the two followed Luna over to the Gryffindor boy, they briefly hugged as Lily and Lysander introduced themselves, or rather, Lacey and Lenny did.

"We don't have a lot of time, but we need to find the Sorting Hat." Lily said. She didn't recall exactly what went down with Uncle Neville, but she knew that the Sorting Hat was the home to the Sword of Gryffindor, and then from there…she just hoped that Neville's got enough courage.

"What do we need that for?" They already started their way up to Dumbledore, or rather, Snape's office, as Neville took the lead, fending off Death Eaters.

"Someone has to kill Nagini." Lily explained, and watched as Neville's face went pale.

* * *

A spark slashed at Rose as she dodged quickly, sending a curse at the general direction. Her vision was blurry, but somehow her instincts made her sharp.

"Scorpius?" She shouted. They were battling outside of the Castle, in the courtyard where the giants and the Dementors stomped and glided. Rose knew that Scorpius couldn't hear her, probably, over all the noises, but she hasn't seen her boyfriend since they joined the fight.

It has been a harsh hour, or was it only a few minutes? During which Rose defended three students, two members of the staff, nearly died a dozen times, and stunned three Death Eaters. Maybe it was like an hour.

She lost track a long time ago where Scorpius was, as it interfered with, you know, trying to survive, but now there seemed to be a break in the Battle, as some of the Death Eaters started flocking towards the other side of the yard, perhaps they want a moments of rest as well, Rose can't imagine this to be any easier than them.

She spotted him, the flick of grey-blonde hair beyond a mountain of rubbles; Rose gulped as she saw his bloody arm with slashes through it. The Slytherin haven't spotted her yet, and she was just about to call out when a sudden voice made her blood run cold.

"Ahhh…young Rose."

She turned around, meeting someone who looked almost like a carbon copy with Scorpius, except for the old age, the malevolent smile, and the cruel looking eyes lacking Scorpius' warmth.

"Mr. Malfoy." She said.

Lucius Malfoy, the one from the future, stood before her, suddenly the Battle was so much quieter, but still, Rose can hear it happening just a few yards beyond her. It must have been Lucius's idea to isolate Rose, for what reason? She was going to find out.

"I believe you've met my sister-in-law." He gestured to a woman in black next to her, Bellatrix Lestrange scowled at the relation, but turned to Rose as her face twisted into an ugly smile.

"I'm going to meet the Dark Lord; we've set up base in the Forbidden Forest." Bellatrix said haughtily, "We shall see you soon Lucius."

His beady grey eyes stared at Rose, making her feel very self-conscious. There was two other Death Eaters that stayed with Lucius, so Rose wasn't feeling too good about the odds. Somewhere behind her, Scorpius was sure still too busy with battle to notice her. She gulped and prayed for the best.

"I'm been longing to have this little _talk _with you, Ms. Weasley." He used a condescending tone, but Rose wasn't backing down, "It seemed that you always just escape before I could get to you."

He looked about the Battle field, "Ahh…I see Severus is missing, he was always quite protective over you and your precious…gift."

The tracker, Rose clicked, "What do you know about Snape?" He was dead; they both knew that much, in a few moments Voldemort was going to call ceasefire and Harry will have to…sacrifice himself. The timeline worked itself out, they were winning.

But Lucius still had that stupid smirk on her face that made Rose doubt their plan a little more. There was still a lot to go on chance, whether Neville will kill Nagini, whether Narcissa will lie about Harry's death, now that they knew of the facts, which means that was another task for them…

Not for Rose if she doesn't survive this meeting though. She tried to look impressive in front of the older Malfoy, but she was miserably failing.

"He was reluctant to use it; I guess that's how you got away from handing it over to us for so long…" Lucius said, recalling the memory, "He was a sneaky little traitor, though Bellatrix and Jeremiah seemed to think otherwise."

"I see." Rose stalled. Please, please, please, let Voldemort call ceasefire soon, she never thought she would pray for the Dark Lord to do something, but she was. Even so, she doubts that Lucius' wouldn't just vaporize her on the spot.

"Enough about that slim ball, we're talking about you." He gave her a curt smile, "For so long, little Scorpius had been running around with you lots, befriending the Potter kids, the spawn of Longbottom and Weasley, and we didn't say a thing."

As he continued, Rose's brain whirled with ideas, they had her cornered, as the two other Death Eaters were standing, facing Lucius, but behind her, "Neither did we when he starting fancying you, and you know why, Ms. Weasley?"

"Because of your reputation." Rose said, her head held high and attempting to look intimidating, "Because you didn't want any cause for people to hate you more, especially after your association with Voldemort."

"Suddenly brave to speak the Dark Lord's name now, are we?" Lucius's lips curled nastily, "But you're right, little Mudblood's daughter, we didn't say anything because we couldn't, not under the laws of you and your precious little Ministry."

He stepped a bit closer as Rose flinched, what was he going to do?

"But Mr. Potter can't protect you now." Lucius smirked, "Neither can the Aurors, or the Order, or even the Army, you're all by yourself."

"You won't win you know!" Rose called with a spurge of adrenaline, "Harry comes back, you're from the future; he _will _beat Voldemort no matter what obstacle you throw at him! We'll rally up a group and send into the Forbidden Forest, let's see how your Death Eaters do against the entire Wizarding world."

Lucius looked appalled, "I wouldn't be too sure if I were you." He said, "I'd say we're doing alright…" he looked beyond her, at the bloody Battlefield of losses, "But it's a shame to waste so much Wizarding bloods." He smiled even further, Rose wondered how he could be so confident, "We have another plan to win the War, and one that won't lose so many lives, as this one tragically did." He spoke as if he cared for the bloodshed.

"Except for you." He turned his steely grey eyes on her, "Your life is one I will be happy to take."

Two hands grabbed her shoulders, as Rose was held tightly by the two Death Eaters, Lucius' had a mad look in his eyes, as Rose thought, _this is it, _this is how I die.

If you asked her what happened next, she would honestly say that she didn't know, but somehow a mop of blonde hair got tangled into the mess of Death Eaters and her, and the next thing she knew, Voldemort called the ceasefire, Lucius disappeared into the forest, and Scorpius was lying at her feet in a pool of blood.

* * *

**What can I tell you about the next chapter?**

**1. It won't be the last chapter, nor will it be the second last chapter, nor the third last chapter...etc. for a while**

**2. Scorpius isn't dead (ya!)**

**3. Harry will live...**

**4. So will other people...**

**GOSH! I DECIDED TO WRITE FRED IN AS DEAD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! I WENT INTO THIS ALL POSITIVELY THINKING THAT FRED WOULD LIVE! BUT NO! MY BRAIN HATES ME AND TYPED THOSE WORDS OUT!**

**Well...those word's aren't exactly out, I kind of skirted around the issue, but as Hugo mentioned, they grew up with Uncle Fred :'( so they shouldn't miss him too much.**

**WHHYWHYWHWYWHWYWHWYWHWYWHWYWHWYWHWYWYH!**

**~Lilies**


	21. XIX: Past, Present, and Future

**So I know I'm late, sort of, but the good news is that summer is here and I can get started on all of my summer projects ^_^ I have a lot of ideas for stories, but I'm also working on other things, such as my new YouTube channel (I'll post a link in my profile), and my massive reading list (re-reading HP, obviously), and SUMMER SCHOOL! Don't worry, I didn't fail, but I am taking a course that will help me in the future and blah blah blah blah...ya, I'm not that excited for it.**

**But since I have zero life, you'll get more updates. More than fair I suppose...**

**Noted, this chapter contains scenes directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling, the direct quotation are in italics, with minor changes made by me, but I don't own the series, JK Rowling does, and this is just to show 1. the same scene again and I don't think I can re-write HP, and 2. that the time travelling timestream whatever is fixing itself as the same events are repeating.**

**Warning, Character Death, though none that you'd like, probably.**

**Enjoy ^_^**

**~Lilies**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Past, Present, and Future**

* * *

The Dark Lord's fate is not yet locked

His cult shall rise and reverse the clock

The children of the seven shall be offered this quest

To turn back the time and preserve what's right

The ending is the new beginning as the titanium is turned

Death escaped again as two worlds will merge

* * *

May **Year 1998 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

"So Voldemort's in the Shrieking Shack." Hermione concluded, judging by her feature, she still didn't trust James a whole lot.

"Look inside his mind Harry." He turned into his dad, who was slightly more understanding, "Isn't he there?"

Harry grimaced as he clutched his scar, "He's right Hermione."

Hermione, obviously unhappy at the prospect of being wrong, frowned but nodded anyways, "Then we need to go and find him, end Nagini, and that'll be the end." She looked so relieved; James didn't dare crush her hopes. There was still more to the story than just ending Nagini and killing Voldemort, there was the Hallows, and the last Horcrux.

Speaking of Hallows…

"Wait." He called, "I need to tell you something."

"So tell us!" Hermione said, her head held high, almost daring James to say something.

"Just to Harry." He said, "It's important."

The two other backed away slowly, Hermione with her pointed glare at James, Hugo looked over to his older cousin, "What are you doing? We're kind of pressed on time!" He furiously hissed.

"Just go with them." James gestured towards the younger boy's parents, "I'll make it quick."

Hugo looked panicked at the sight of being with Ron and Hermione, but he reluctantly followed. James turned towards his own father, who wore an expectant looked upon his face, "Well?" He said, "What?"

How was he going to phrase this without sounding weird? He really hoped that Lily explained the concept of the Hallows to him, or else they were pretty much screwed, "You know the Elder Wand, right?"

Harry nodded, "Lacey had a field day about the Deathly Hallows, Hermione visited Lovegood over Christmas, but it's just legends, right?"

Something about his feature told James otherwise, that there were more to the Hallows than Lily dared to tell him.

"No." James corrected, "Dumbledore was the master of the Elder Wand, and you've got the Cloak of Invisibility."

Harry nodded, "I suspected that much, and the Resurrection Stone?"

James gulped, he couldn't just _tell _his own dad to suicide, that would make him sound crazy and slightly murderous, "You'll find out soon enough." He added hastily, "But what I want to tell you about is the Master of the Elder Wand."

Harry was listening, and James tried to phrase the words just right, "It's you."

He looked quite surprised, "But didn't Snape kill-"

"It's you, alright?" James swallowed, hard, "Just-just remember that when you battle _him_."

Harry looked grim, but James told him what he had to tell him. It was true, Snape never really killed Dumbledore, it was Draco that disarmed him, and James had disarmed the Malfoy boy when he first stepped into Malfoy Manor, and then Harry won it from him when he met up with them at Hogsmeade.

The universe was crazy with all this time travelling going on, but it all worked out. Now, Harry just has to kill himself and it'll all be over with.

* * *

"Scorpius?"

He struggled to open his eyes, but they weren't moving according to his command.

"Scorpius?"

A sweet, but nervous voice, was ringing above him, he had to reach it, and see her, and…

"Scorpius!"

It was crying now, Scorpius's eyes flew open with a jot and looked at a mass of reddish hair, "Rosie?"

Maybe it was because Scorpius almost just died, at the hand of his own grandfather no less, but Rose looked even more beautiful that she normally did, "You're alive!" She tackled him in a huge hug, but Scorpius groaned at the pressure on his rib-cage, which was probably fractured.

"Sorry." Rose apologized quickly. Scorpius took in their surroundings, they were at the Great Hall, but the Battle was not heard from the outside.

"Did Harry…?" He asked, not exactly sure how to phrase it.

"Voldemort called for ceasefire, and Harry got to Snape." Rose answered, "I saw his figure a while back, heading towards Dumbledore's office."

"Oh god." He leaned back against…what was he leaning back against? He was in a pile of blankets that Rose must have gotten, from where he did not know. Maybe the students rallied to their individual dorms and retrieved some blankets for the sick, that would explain the redness of it all, for Gryffindor.

"Rose…" He stopped on his sentence, about what exactly was Lucius _Malfoy _talking to her about, when he saw her distraught face, looking over at another mass of bright red hair, "Oh."

Uncle George was kneeling next to a body; Scorpius didn't even have to think twice before identifying it. The rest of the Weasleys, along with a few Order members – Remus and Tonks excluded – crowded around them, as if shielding them from pain.

"Fred." Rose chocked, whipping away a tear, almost every eye was on the giant mass of people, no one bothered to glance at Rose and Scorpius, two definitely odd members, well, Rose blended in more because she was still in her school uniform, but Scorpius just wore regular Muggle clothing.

"It's alright." He awkwardly patted her back, especially since he was half alive on the floor, "It'll be alright, Voldemort will end."

Rose blanched at the last phrase, as Scorpius' curiosity grew, what _did _his grandfather talk about with Rose?

He asked her of that, but she looked away in shame, "I'm so sorry you had to do that for me." She sighed, "I should've been more cautious."

Scorpius shook his head, he couldn't let her feel guilty right now, "It's not your fault, it's the Death Eaters, and _Malfoy_."

Rose tuck away a stray of blonde hair and smiled down at him, "You are one, you know."

Scorpius clenched his fist, he wouldn't be part of a family that almost killed the girl he loved, he wouldn't be part of a family that supported the Dark side over and over again, and he definitely wouldn't be part of a family that cost this many lives. He should have done this a long time ago.

"Not anymore." He told her, "When we get back, I'm moving out."

Rose stopped caressing his hair, "Where?"

"Anywhere else."

They sat in silence for a while, the only sound was from Uncle George's weeping a few blanket forts down, and Rose tried her best to hold back her tears, but there weren't working. Even Scorpius shed some, after all, it wasn't every day that your girlfriend lost a family member, again.

"What did my grandfather want to talk to you about?" Scorpius asked, gently changing the subject.

Rose blanched again, "I've already talked to the Order, we should be heading out soon, but…" she chewed her lips, as if she knew what Scorpius' reaction was going to be, "…I don't think you should come in this condition."

Scorpius tried to sit up, but Rose was proven right when even the slightest move cost him a huge strain, "But…but I want to help." He didn't care if he sounded like a three year old, there was no way he was missing out, "Where are we going anyways?"

"_We, _as in the Order and I…" Rose held his hand, which was successful in making him not want to get up again, "…are going out in the Forbidden Forest, the Death Cult knew how Harry came back to life, and I'm guessing they're going to prevent that from happening."

"Oh." Scorpius said, "If I'm not going out there, you're not going out there." He decided, since there was no way he can move.

Rose smiled sadly down at him, "I have to." Then her smile turned slightly wicked, "Besides, I have a score to settle with your dear old grandfather."

* * *

"_Someone there," came a rough whisper close at hand. "He's got an Invisibility Cloak. Could it be—?"_

_Two ﬁgures emerged from behind a nearby tree; their wands ﬂared and Harry saw Yaxley and Dolohov peering into the darkness, directly at the place Harry, his mother and father and Sirius and Lupin stood. Apparently they could not see anything._

"_Deﬁnitely heard something," said Yaxley. "Animal, d'you reckon?"_

"_That head case Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff here,__"__ said Dolohov, glancing over his shoulder._

_Yaxley looked down at his watch._

"_Time's nearly up. Potter's had his hour. He's not coming."_

"_And he was sure he'd come! He won't be happy."_

"_Better go back," said Yaxley, "Find out what the plan is now."_

_He and Dolohov turned and walked deeper into the forest. Harry followed them, knowing that they would lead him exactly where he wanted to go. He glanced sideways, and his mother smiled at him, and his father nodded encouragement._

_They had traveled on mere minutes when Harry saw light ahead, and Yaxley and Dolohov stepped out into a clearing that Harry knew had been the place where the monstrous Aragog had once lived. The remnants of his vast web were there still, but the swarm of descendants he had spawned had been driven out by the Death Eaters, to ﬁght for their cause._

_A ﬁre burned in the middle of the clearing, and its ﬂickering light fell over a crowd of completely silent, watchful Death Eaters._

_Some of them were still masked and hooded; others showed their faces. Two giants sat on the outskirts of the group, casting massive shadows over the scene, their faces cruel, rough-hewn like rock._

_Harry saw Fenrir, skulking, chewing his long nails; the great blonde Rowle was dabbing at his bleeding lip. He saw Lucius Malfoy, who looked defeated and terriﬁed, and Narcissa, whose eyes were sunken and full of apprehension, _then there were the older Malfoys, Lucius and Draco looked impressive over them all, the only ones not scarred from the Battle_._

_Every eye was ﬁxed upon Voldemort, who stood with his head bowed, and his white hands folded over the Elder Wand in front of him. He might have been praying, or else counting silently in his mind, and Harry, standing still on the edge of the scene, thought absurdly of a child counting in a game of hide-and-seek. Behind him head, still swirling and coiling, the great snake Nagini ﬂoated in her glittering, charmed cage, like a monstrous halo._

_When Dolohov and Yaxley rejoined the circle, Voldemort looked up._

"_No sign of him, my Lord," said Dolohov._

_Voldemort's expression did not change. The red eyes seemed to burn in the ﬁrelight. Slowly he drew the Elder Wand between his long ﬁngers._

"_My Lord— "_

_Bellatrix had spoken; She sat closest to Voldemort, disheveled, her face a little bloody but otherwise unharmed._

_Voldemort raised his hand to silence her, and she did not speak another word, but eyed him in worshipful fascination._

"_I thought he would come," said Voldemort in his high, clear voice, his eyes on the leaping ﬂames. "I expected him to come."_

_Nobody spoke. They seemed as scared as Harry, whose heart was now throwing itself against his ribs as though determined to escape the body he was about to cast aside. He hands were swearing as he pulled o__ut__ the Invisibility Cloak and stu__ff__ed it beneath his robes, with his wand. He did not want to be tempted to ﬁght._

"_I was, it seems . . . mistaken," said Voldemort._

"_You weren't."_

_Harry said it as loudly as he could, with all the force he could muster. He did not want to sound afraid. The Resurrection Stone slipped from between his numb ﬁngers, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw his parents, Sirius, and Lupin vanish as he stepped forward into the ﬁrelight. At that moment he felt that nobody mattered but Voldemort. It was just the two of them._

_The illusion was gone as soon as it had come. The giants roared as the Death Eaters rose together, and there were many cries, gasps, even laughter. Voldemort had frozen where he stood, but his red eyes had found Harry, and he stared at Harry moved toward him, with nothing but the ﬁre between them._

_Then a voice yelled, "HARRY! NO!"_

_He turned: Hagrid was bound and trussed, tied to a tree nearby. His massive body shook the branches overhead as he struggled, desperate._

"_NO! NO! HARRY, WHAT'RE YEH—?"_

"_QUIET!" shouted Rowle, and with a ﬂick of his wand Hagrid was silenced._

_Bellatrix, who had leapt to her feet, was looking eagerly from Voldemort to Harry, her breast heaving. The only things that moved were the ﬂames and the snake, coiling and uncoiling in the glittering cage behind Voldemort's head._

_Harry could feel his wand against his chest, but he made no attempt to draw it. He knew that the snake was too well protected, knew that if he managed to point the wand at Nagini, ﬁfty curses would hit him ﬁrst. And still, Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and now Voldemort tilted his head a little to the side, considering the boy standing before him, and a singularly mirthless smile curled the lipless mouth._

"_Harry Potter," he said very softly His voice might have been part of the splitting ﬁre. "The Boy Who Lived."_

"Best leave him alone, my lord." Lucius, the one from the future it seemed, whispered into Voldemort's ear. They knew, of course, Harry realized, they knew that Harry wouldn't really die. Somehow he panicked; he _had _to die if they wanted to kill Voldemort.

There was still fear, fear of death there, but it was quickly replaced by something far more urgent; a sense of sacrifice and will to protect all his love ones was stronger than fear. He had to convince Voldemort, somehow, to kill him. It was incredulous as it sounded inside his head, but Harry proceeded.

"Coward." He called, successfully drawing the attention of all the Death Eaters, "Are you really so weak that you wouldn't face me yourself?"

"He's just baiting you…" Lucius whispered fiercely, but it was drown out by Bellatrix's screech.

"How _dare _you!" She called, setting out to taking her wand and ending Harry right there, but it has to be Voldemort who ends him.

Blood rushed to his ear, as pure adrenaline pumped through his vein, never before had Harry baited someone to kill him, but this was absolutely necessary. Before he could chicken out, he exclaimed again, "You're just going to let some henchman do your work for you, how pathetic!"

Bellatrix looked appalled, Lucius looked incredulous, but Voldemort fixed his evil red eyes upon Harry, "I'm not the pathetic one, Harry Potter."

"Then face me yourself!" He called again, _what was he doing? _Harry didn't really know, but a mantra played through his head, _I have to die, Voldemort has to kill me, I have to die, Voldemort has to kill me_.

"My Lord, it is most unwise…" Lucius started, but Harry's mocking laugh masked his words.

"Letting Lucius Malfoy telling you what to do!" He cried, Hagrid looked over at him like he was mad.

"Harry! What are yer doing!" He called, but the restrain on him was still too tight.

_I have to die, I have to die, I'm going to die._

"And I thought I should've been afraid of you." Harry finished.

That seemed to be enough, as Voldemort's rage came over, no Malfoy, no Lestrange, no Cult or Death Eater can prevent him from his destiny. He _has _to kill Harry Potter, it must be done. And to suggest that he failed? How could he possibly fail, with the power of the Elder Wand and far supreme magical skills that this pathetic seventeen year old boy, he was going to win against him once and for all.

"AVADA KEDEVRA!" He called in rage, ignoring Lucius' cry from behind him and Bellatrix's cackle. Harry felt a sense of triumph, strangely, as he was blasted into his next life.

* * *

Harry Potter lay dead on the floor, but Bellatrix wasn't satisfied. It had been too easy, too quick, but admitted that out loud would be agreeing with Lucius Malfoy, something she promised herself she would _never _do. Instead the black haired witch looked at the dying body, the pathetic, pathetic boy who thought he had a chance to defeat the Dark Lord. What was his plan anyways? Taunting the great wizard like that, it was almost like…he wanted to die.

Bellatrix shook her head, getting rid of that horrible thought, which meant two things. One, which the Dark Lord lost to Harry Potter after all, if he truly wanted to be dead, and two; it goes against everything she was taught by Voldemort. There was nothing worse than death, only people the likes of Dumbledore and the Order pretended otherwise. There was nothing worse than getting the breath suck out of you and feeling the life leaving your body, cold on the floor, with no will at all.

She shivered, and looked over to her master for direction. The Dark Lord looked a little bit expectant, or what, she wasn't sure. Lucius, the older one, looked very grim, while she felt her own sister standing next to her, stiffing.

"Narcissa." The Dark Lord spoke softly, "Check if the boy is dead."

"My lor-" Lucius raised a hand to speak, but dismissed the thought. Bellatrix knew why. Back when Lucius just arrived, before the jealousy and envy, he confided in the Malfoy family (Bellatrix included, obviously) that Narcissa would betray the Dark Lord (foolish sister) in hope to find her son Draco in the Battle. This would be a test of her loyalty, and Lucius didn't want to interfere.

"Dead." Narcissa sighed, but Bellatrix wasn't sure what to think. Lucius tensed as well, he could hardly tell the Dark Lord that his wife lied, which would result in no less than death, but the Lestrange girl was so sure that Potter was dead anyways, I mean, even that stupid, pathetic, boy, who somehow got passed almost all of the Dark Lord's schemes and plans, could not survive Life's greatest tragedy.

No, it wasn't a tragedy, it was a celebration, the bane of the Dark Lord was gone.

"Get the giant to bring him." The Dark Lord smiled, "Let's see the look on everyone's face when their _hero _lies dead before them."

* * *

Lily knew that her father would die, that was written in the stars, but there was a difference between knowing and seeing, and the lifeless figure of Harry Potter was proven a little bit too much for her. If it was not for James holding her arm back, just as one of the Weasleys did to her mom, Lily would've ran out and hex the life out of the Death Eaters. She'll probably die, but she'll die brightly.

"Down, Lily." Her brother murmured to her, "He's not dead."

It had to take that reminder to get Lily to settle. Right, Harry is still somehow alive. They had been preparing to venture into the Forbidden Forest when the saw the army of Death Eaters march in. the Order did not know it, but Harry was supposed to back to life. Though there was still the slight chance that the Death Cult told the Dark Lord of the future, and that they might kill him…twice.

"He could be." It was on the tip of Lily's throat, but she didn't speak. Voldemort made his speech, but Lily's eyes fixed on the seemingly lifeless body, praying that it wasn't true. Then she looked and studied each of the Death Easter, present day Malfoys with a solemn expression, clearly not enjoying this 'celebration' very much, while the older Lucius looked stricken, that was a good sign right? The older Draco was right behind him, lips curled in weird satisfaction that Lily couldn't decipher. Was he still a friend of Harry's? She wasn't quite sure given their shaky friendship after the War, but they really thought that Draco had changed…

Then there was Bellatrix Lestrange, which unnerved her most of all. A mass of confusion spread over her otherwise pretty face, Lily wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

When Neville spoke up, The Death Eater Princess barely battled an eyelash, when Nagini was killed, the Dark Lord screamed in agony. Lily was almost sure of their victory though, as all of the Horcruxes were destroyed, but there was still no sign of Harry…

She hoped it was because of the Cloak of Invisibility, and prayed it wasn't because he was run over by one of the giants.

_Chaos reigned. The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was ﬂeeing the giants' stamping feet, and nearer and nearer thundered the reinforcements that had come from who knew where; _Lily_ saw great winged creatures soaring around the heads of Voldemort's giants, thestrals and Buckbeak the hippogriff scratching at their eyes while Grawp punched and pummeled them, and now the wizards, defenders of Hogwarts and Death Eaters alike, were being forced back into the castle._

_And now there were more, even more people storming up the front steps, and _Lily_ saw Charlie Weasley overtaking Horace Slughorn, who was still wearing his emerald pajamas. They seemed to have returned at the head of what looked like the families and friends of every Hogwarts student who had remained to ﬁght, along with the shopkeepers and homeowners of Hogsmeade. The centaurs Ban, Ronan, and Magorian burst into the hall with a great clatter of hooves, as behind _Lily_ the door that led to the kitchens was blasted o__ff__ its hinges._

_The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers, and at their head, the locket of Regulus Black bouncing on his chest, was Kreacher, his bullfrog's voice audible even above this din: "Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of the house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!" They were hacking and stabbing at the ankles and shins of Death Eaters, their tiny faces alive with malice, and everywhere_

Lily_ looked Death Eaters were folding under sheer weight of numbers, overcome by spells, dragging arrows from wounds, stabbed in the leg by elves, or else simply attempting to escape, but swallowed by the oncoming horde._

Lily_ saw Yaxley slammed to the ﬂoor by George and Lee Jordan, saw Dolohov fall with a scream at Flitwick's hands, saw Walden Macnair thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite, and slide unconscious to the ground. She saw Ron and Neville bringing down Fenrir Greyback, Aberforth Stunning Rookwood, Arthur and Percy ﬂooring Thicknesse, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy running through the crowd, not even attempting to ﬁght, screaming for their son._

_Voldemort was now dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley all at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to ﬁnish him—Bellatrix was still ﬁghting too, ﬁfty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, and a Killing Curse shot so close to Ginny that she missed death by an inch—_

"_NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"_

_Mrs. Weasley threw o__ her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger._

"_OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley to the three girls, and with a swipe of her wand she began to duel. _Lily_ watched with terror and elation as Molly Weasley's wand slashed and twisted, and Bellatrix Lestrange's smile faltered and became a snarl. Jets of light ﬂew from both wands, the ﬂoor around the witches' feet became hot and cracked; both women were ﬁghting to kill._

"_No!" Mrs. Weasley cried as a few students ran forward, trying to come to her aid. "Get back! Get back! She is mine!"_

_Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two ﬁghts, Voldemort and his three opponents, Bellatrix and Molly, and _Lily_ stood, torn between both, wanting to attack and yet to protect, unable to be sure that she would not hit the innocent._

"_What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" taunted Bellatrix, as mad as her master, capering as Molly's curses danced around her. "When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"_

"_You—will—never— touch— our—children— again!" screamed Mrs. Weasley._

_Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart._

_Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes began to bulge: For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed_

Lily_ felt as though he turned in slow motion; _she_ saw McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn blasted backward, ﬂailing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley._

"_Protego!" roared _a voice from somewhere, Lily's heart loosen as she recognized the voice_, and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Harry pulled o__ff__ the Invisibility Cloak at last._

_The yell of shock, the cheers, the screams on every side of_

"_Harry!" "HE'S ALIVE!" were stiﬂed at once. The crowd was afraid, and silence fell abruptly and completely as Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and began, at the same moment, to circle each other._

Lily felt like she could cry, or laugh, or run to hug her father at the same time. He was alive, Narcissa Malfoy had lied, and everything was going to be fine again.

Voldemort looked calculatingly over Harry, as Lily's heart skipped over a beat, he didn't seem particularly...fazed. Why wasn't he surprised? Did he know that Harry was going to come back alive? Did Lucius tell him? How is he going to get out of this one?

Lily would think that Voldemort would kill Harry on the spot, maybe taunt him a bit before doing so, but to her surprise – as well as all of the Hogwartians standing – Voldemort smiled. It looked ugly on him, maybe it was the magical transformations, and maybe it was because Lily didn't believe him to be quite human, but Voldemort smiling was the most disturbing thing she had ever seen in her 15 years old life.

"Potter." He snarled, as Death Eaters began to round up, clearly knowing what to do. That thought scared Lily. They knew it was going to happen, they've prepared for it…

Lucius, the older one, stepped up right behind Voldemort, while the present day Malfoy family looked pale, well…except for Draco, who just looked sort of confused over the whole thing. The older Draco Malfoy stood behind his father, face tense and rid of the strange smile that she had seen him wearing earlier…

"It's cowardly to run from a fight…" Voldemort said simply, "But in this case, it's just simply not worth fighting."

Lily knew what was going to happen as soon as she saw a flash of light from Lucius's coat jacket. She almost screamed if it wasn't for James holding her back, again. The Time Turner, they've stolen two…

"We'll meet again." The typical cliché villain departure speech was said, as Voldemort, and several of the Death Eaters disappeared into space, leaving the rest of the Hogwartians looking after them in confusion. Harry dropped to his knees, clearly shaking.

"They…" Rose came up from behind Lily, "They didn't."

"They did." Lily answered, still staring at the empty space, where moments before stood an army. The Titanium Time Turner was powerful, as it can travel through not only space but time, but it has its limitations in going to the present from the past, and they'll be arriving right where they left off.

"So they're just somewhere in Britain, about three decades in the future!" Rose laughed incredulously, "And when we get back…"

"They'll be waiting for us." Scorpius put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. Lily let out a shaky laugh.

"And I thought that the mission was going to end today!" She felt a bit psychotic, and also very unstable, in fact, she felt like she was going to pass out any moment now, "I thought that it would be over!"

"Well it isn't." Lysander snapped, him and Hugo brought up the rear. Nobody paid attention to the six kids standing off to the side as the crowd was around Harry, who was unsure of what happened, "What kind of future are we going back to?" He questioned.

James, the ever sarcastic one, looked hard and so serious for a moment that Lily almost couldn't recognize him, but then he cracked a weak smile and Lily knew it was going to be alright. They'll get through this, one way or another.

"Guess we're going to have to find out." He reached into his own coat pocket; one of the Time Turners glistened in the morning light. The Battle of Hogwarts was finished, but the War had just begun.

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**Just kidding ^_^**

**I am continuing the story, as this story with the same name and stuff because I see it as a linear sort of thing, which is why this conclusion was a bit anticlimactic (in my opinion at least). I'm wondering about a sequel, but I don't think there will be anything, but there is definitely a prequel I'm writing about major stuff like Rose and Scorpius getting together and Albus's death and Hannah and Neville's divorce and all sort of stuff, plus more on that mysterious Ella Gardner personnel.**

**So prequel, no promises for sequel, I GOT TO GET THIS STORY FINISHED FIRST!**

**The plan is for 36-38ish chapter, so there's still a lot of stuff to come up, and Ella will be there, as a ghost or human...I won't say. There will be big changes in the future obviously, but other than one or two events (like Neville and Luna), everything is still canon. Lysander has that split personality thing going on because everyone still remember their life before, but since Rolf never married Luna, Lysander's memory of his step-mother will fade, but that's not really the big thing concerning Luna that's coming up...**

**Oops, too much spoilers, just read on, and may the next chapter come up faster than this one :)**

**~Lilies**

**P.S. REVIEWS**

**CrazyObsessedVampireGirl:** i do love a good plot, don't you?**  
**

**LilyLuna123**: totally ^_^

**hg2010:** aww...that means so much! All the compliments and review gets me one day closer to becoming an actual writer, if, you know, I don't go for computer sciences

**A.L. Kingsley**: siriusly? That is so sweet I need to go to the dentist (cheesy much? As much as a pizza. Okay I'll stop)

**KneazleRose:** uhh...Lysander's still Rolf's kid, as Luna is his step-mother in this story, but Luna and Neville will definitely have...offsprings. Lysander still 'child of the seven' because of the whole thing which Luna really influenced him. I don't really explain it very well but hopefully it'll come up in future chapters

**Jily-Hinny-Always:** UPDATED!

**I ship rose:** YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL TOOOOOOOO

**spannieren:** thank you, thank you, I try


	22. XX: Same Time, Same Place

**Chapter 20: Same Time, Same Place**

* * *

The Dark Lord's fate is not yet locked

His cult shall rise and reverse the clock

The children of the seven shall be offered this quest

To turn back the time and preserve what's right

The ending is the new beginning as the titanium is turned

Death escaped again as two worlds will merge

* * *

September **Year 2024 **Sent-Off Room; Auror's Department; Ministry of Magic

* * *

Hugo burst out into the room in a huge gasp, time travelling, he noted, was not for the weak bodied, as he was seriously tired out right now. He briefly remembered that when they were travelling back in time, he had passed out in the broom closet they landed in, the second time around was not much better.

He looked about, the send-off room he left a year ago was exactly the same, Uncle Harry standing off to one side, not noticing them yet, and it would seem that Voldemort hadn't change anything yet. Behind him Lily coughed, which drew her father's attention.

"You're back." He noted, "How have you been?"

Hugo looked behind him, James, Rose, Scorpius, Lysander and Lily, no Aly. He didn't expect that, but Uncle Harry didn't even note that one of them was missing; they probably never knew the Longbottom girl. Hugo sighed and step aside for Lily to hug her father.

For him, it had been a matter of seconds, they think, but the six had gone through a whole year of Death Eater escaping, secret revealing, death, and emotional trauma, so it wasn't that much of a surprise when Lily Luna Potter burst into tears and hugged her father so tightly that he was looking a little pale.

"Lil." He murmured, pulling her off a bit, "What happened?"

"I think we should ask you that." James noted, "Tell us what you remember from your seventh year, because we still have our memory from before the time travel."

Hugo wasn't clear on the whole time travelling deal, but Aly seemed pretty clear on it. While Uncle Harry thought back, Hugo thought that it was a pretty good miracle that they were all still alive.

Well…almost all of them were still alive.

The universe balanced itself out, because everything was exactly the same as when they left, except for, obviously, Neville and Luna's marriage, which everyone was quiet at. Hannah, Hugo wasn't sure, but apparently she was married to someone named Eric Gardner of something of the sort, that wasn't very important. Harry said that Voldemort mysteriously vanished with majority of the Death Eaters, and after not seeing them for a while, the Wizarding world sort itself straight out.

"Of course there are still quite a bit of complications." Harry frowned, "The Malfoys got sent to Azkaban for their association, but Draco got off for being young." He glanced at Scorpius a bit, "I supposed he's alright now, was that the case before?"

James nodded, "You were quite good friends, actually, once Uncle Ron got over the whole trying-to-kill-Dumbledore-and-your-friends-repeate dly thing."

Harry nodded, "Well, great job team!"

The six of them stared at the Chosen One expectantly, as if wanting him to say something else, but Harry did not. Lily was still sniffling with Rose patting her gently on the back.

"There's something you need to know about Voldemort." James sighed. It seemed that everyone just sort of left the talking to him, not that Hugo minded. James was the eldest, the most experienced, and though the most stupid, he was also really good at talking to people, "He's not dead."

Harry sighed, "I suspected that much, but I still don't know where he is all these years."

"Here." James said, not missing a bit and continuing with the straight on facts, "He travelled through time to, here, with Lucius and all the other Death Cults."

Harry turned sheet white, and gripped the wall a bit. Of course, hearing the return of one's mortal enemy could be traumatic, but Hugo didn't think it was more than going on a life-threatening mission and losing one's best friend, or maybe he's just being insensitive.

"Well." Harry got a hold of himself finally, and straightened his robes, "I supposed I'll go alert the Auror Department, I'll have you guys come back in a week for some debriefing, but just try and take some time off now, will you"

With that, he shuffled out of the room, leaving the six standing there; silently and almost waiting for instruction, but none came. Was it truly done? Was their mission over just because they finished time travelling?

"I think…" James spoke first, "Dad might need a bit more help with the Death Eater situation, and I'll help with that."

"I want to help too!" Lily piped up, "He's not just your dad you know."

James glared at the red-headed girl, but that didn't stop Lily from stomping across the room and into the hallway. He visibly sighed, "Anyone else?"

Hugo waited for a few moments, and to his surprise, Scorpius spoke up, wincing a bit due to his half-healed injury, "I'll come too."

Rose gasped, Lysander glared, and Hugo just stood there like an idiot. Scorpius did realize that he'll be going up directly against his family members, right?

"Scor-" Rose was interrupted as Lysander spoke up as well, "I'm in."

The three boys nodded to each other in some secret language that Hugo wish he knew, just because he was young doesn't mean he was clueless. Then again, what was he still doing here? And not volunteering to help Harry like the rest of the group.

Rose was still here, he reasoned with his inner self, but of course there was another reason. He had to see Professor Longbottom again, and find out about…Aly.

James, Scorpius and Lysander hurried out of the room to catch up to Lily, who was no doubt already at her father's office. Hugo looked over to his own sister, who was almost to tears.

"He-" Rose cried, pointing at Scorpius's retreating figure, "He's not even properly healed yet." Sure enough, Scorpius was still walking with some sort of a limp.

"Don't worry about him Rosie." Hugo assured her, "It'll be fine."

"I'm really useless aren't I." Her laugh was humorless as Hugo felt her stomach lurch. She had betrayed the lot to Snape and nearly let the Death Eaters find them, but Rose did it with good intentions, as far as Hugo knew. He also knew that part of Rose's insecurity right now came from him, and how he excluded her for almost three months after Aly…died.

"The only thing I'm really good at is reading." Rose said in frustration, "There's James, Lily, Scorpius and Lysander, going off to save lives again and again, and all I can think of is hiding in the library!"

Hugo didn't say anything, because it was true for him as well, except his sanctuary wouldn't include so many books.

"I'm sure you can help in some ways, the Prophecy stated that the children of the seven-"

"-shall be offered this quest." Rose continued, "Yes, yes I knew all of that. It seemed the whole death escaped again thing worked out well again, I mean, Voldemort's supposed to die, but now the two worlds merged and he's in the future."

"See." Hugo said, "You're not useless."

"Anyone could've figured that out." Rose pouted, "I just wish I knew more about the Prophecy, who made it, when, and why us?"

Silence fell over them for a while; Hugo can practically hear the gears grinding inside Rose's mind. She quickly gathered up her belongings, which wasn't a lot, and mumbled something about the Ministry Library, and hurried off, leaving Hugo all alone.

He sighed, he wasn't as strong as Scorpius or Lysander, not a good leader like James or Lily, and no way as smart as Rose or…Aly, he was just there. Rose was wrong; she wasn't the useless one in this operation. He remembered Harry's word from before the quest…

"_When will the mission be considered complete?" Rose asked._

"_Until I kill Lord Voldemort." Harry replied, "Until the world is safe."_

That seemed so far off, now that Hugo thought about it. They had no idea where Voldemort is, and he'd be smart not to set up his headquarters in Malfoy Manor again. Briefly he wondered how Lucius could still be part of the Death Cult if him and Narcissa got sent to Azkaban, but then again, it wasn't above the Malfoy family to pull some strings to get them back out soon.

He sighed, there was no used to stay around here anymore, he might as well meet up with Rose, maybe she'll let him hold her books while she figures out a counter spell to Avada Kedavra.

* * *

September **Year 2024 **Head of the Auror Department's Office, Ministry of Magic

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Harry slammed his fist on the table. Usually he wasn't a very emotional man, nor did he let his feelings get the best of him, but as his youngest and only daughter requested to go on _another _deathly mission, and insisted on it, he couldn't just use reason.

Lily glow bright red, sort of, as Harry noticed, like Ginny when she gets really mad, which was not helping the situation, "I need to help!" She protested, "Please, I'll do anything, and keep up my school work too if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm worried about it because you might get killed." And the Potter family doesn't need another kid like that.

Lily's mind was wondering along that line as well, Harry had noticed, but before he can say much anything else, four more figure barged in the room. Ricky, his weirdly pompous assistant, James, Lysander and Scorpius.

"So sorry Mr. Potter." Ricky apologized quickly, "Couldn't exactly help it, the tall one threatened to duel off my buttocks."

"Actually I said I'll kick his ass, but close enough." James shrugged, "Oh good, Lils here too."

Lily grew even redder, if that was possible, and looked quite comical with her flaming hair. Harry would laugh if this wasn't such a serious matter.

"So about Voldemort…" James started.

"James, you're an adult so I can't tell you what to do as a father." James looked happy until Harry continued, "But as your boss, I'm not putting you on the team."

"I'm lost." Lysander piped up, with Scorpius giving a mean, "Aren't you always?" under his breath that the previous blonde boy refused to acknowledge.

"We're sending off a reconnaissance team to scout out possible location of the Death Eaters, so far Ron and Neville agreed, as did Ted Lupin, and Lorcan Scamander as well." Harry said. Lysander seemed to straighten up at the sound of Lorcan joining the team, which means he's in, right?

"If Lorcan went, why can't I!" Lily protested, "He's only, what? Two years older than me?"

"Three, actually." James corrected, "But I agree with Lils, why let him go if not us?"

Harry grew red, just like Lily had done a few minutes ago. It was a selfish reason why he wanted his kid to stay, but at a time like his he really can't afford to be selfish. James was certainly well trained, but he's quite hot-headed, Lily had the same problem, but she at least will form some sort of plan. Both kids had their flaws, but he dare say that they were at least more experienced than all of the trainees combined.

"Fine!" He threw his arms up, "Fine! You're all in, but just take this week off, at least, alright?" He looked at the four of them, Ricky hanging awkwardly in the background until he just went out the door. Lily seemed happy with this, as did Scorpius and Lysander, but James was still frowning.

"What are you doing? The Death Eaters are out there, right now!" He cried, "I'm not going to just sit around for a week…"

"You're not sitting around, you're resting." Harry interrupted, "Now I don't know what went on in the quest, but you all look quite tired, so just take a break until you can get back on your feet."

James pressed his lips together, but didn't say anything else. He followed Lily, who was practically skipping out the door. Scorpius and Lysander also retreated as well, glaring at each other as they went.

Ricky came back, poking his head through the door, "Would you like me to schedule a meeting with the rest, Mr. Potter?"

Harry sighed, "Call them in tonight, we have much to discuss."

* * *

September **Year 2024 **Library, Ministry of Magic

* * *

Rose was frustrated, her personal philosophy was similar to the one of her mother, and everything should be in the library. There had been quite a few books on the Prophecy regarding Harry and Voldemort, yet there was next to nothing about the one about them, nor the Titanium Time Turner, nor E. Gardner, except for this one newspaper clipping somewhere in the depth which showed a man named Eric Gardner finding the time turners a few years ago. But James told them that this E. Gardner person was a girl, dark hair and a weird fetish for rhymes.

Nothing, absolutely nothing. Rose didn't have the clearance to go into the Department of the Mystery and retrieve the actual Prophecy (James' was a copy, of course) to hear it again, but she had it memorized anyways.

It was scary, actually, to think that the world might partially depend on her, that somewhere outside of the world, there was a man thirsty for her uncle's blood, to kill all the Muggle-born and Muggles in the world, and with a jot, Rose realized that meant her mother.

Of course, Hermione Jean Weasley would be killed for more reason than just being 'impure of blood', she was a friend of Voldemort's dearest nemesis, in fact, Rose was sure that he'll whip out the entire Potter-Weasley family without a second thought.

She shuddered, a man of that great power was somewhere other there, and she knew it wasn't exactly safe to even be out in the library right now. There could be Death Eaters still in the Ministry, just outside of work, reading to kill Harry.

That could happen, couldn't it? The sudden assassination of Harry Potter will set the entire Wizarding world in frenzy. He was the Boy Who Lived after all.

That thought along made Rose put down her current book, _Prophecies and how to decipher them, _which was useless anyways. It talked about small predictions, like the weather or some small accident, but she knew nothing in here is going to help her with that sort of prophecy. She wished Divination was more precise, like Arithmancy or even Transfiguration, oh how easy this problem would be for her then.

"Wow, you looked like you could really use a steak or two."

Rose looked up; it was not a voice that is immediately familiar, but one that she recognized. There was a brunette girl with electrifying blue eyes standing in front of her, with the looks of someone that definitely did not belong to a library, but at a punk rock concert with her dragon nose ring and flashy blue highlights in her otherwise non-descriptive light brown hair.

"A steak sounds good." She smiled lightly, not sure what to do with a stranger yet not so strange plopping herself across the couch, "I don't believe we've met? I'm Rose Kathleen Weasley."

The brunette girl raised her eye brows, "Middle name and everything, Rose Weasley, usually people just tell me their first name and hope I don't find them again."

She couldn't help but smile. This girl had a weird sense of absolute and unusual honesty going on, she isn't afraid of anything and says whatever she pleased, not to mention that underneath her layers of black and white clothing she looked like she had warrior spirit. Rose wished she was more like that.

"What's your name?" She asked, but the blue-eyed girl was too busy looking over her shoulder at the book.

"_Prophecies and how to decipher them_." She read, looking at the textbook, "That book's crap, you want to try something by _Cassandra Welsh_." She said, "She's a genius when it comes to Divination." Then frowned, "Not a lot of people believe it though."

Rose looked at her curiously, "You just happen to be an expert on that subject?"

The punk girl smirked, "Oh, I _know _I'm an expert on that subject Rose Weasley." She slumped down on her chair and sighed, "Never made a prediction in my life, but the subject is very interesting."

Rose begged to differ, but she didn't say anything. She recognized this girl, obviously she would've went to Hogwarts, so maybe Rose had seen her there. It wouldn't be easy to forget that golden dragon snarling around her nose.

"How old are you?" She asked, "Because you look school age, but the term started a while ago."

The girl shrugged, "Called down to the Department of Mystery for my dad, he's also asking me to come in; it's kind of like internship I guess. I'm 16, by the way, so job hunting isn't that far off for me."

Rose nodded, sixteen, six year at Hogwarts. She wished she was still at that school, for some sort of normalcy and routine back in her life. She knew that Uncle Harry would insist on Hugo and Lily to return to school, as Hogwarts is as safe as it can get, but what about Rose? Fresh out of Hogwarts with no idea what to do with her life. She had been just job searching after the summer when the mission called, and now…

She felt a whole year older, like a grandmother fitted into a child, someone who had been through too much for her own age and didn't reflect it on the outside; after all, she was having a causal conversation with someone who had an internship at the Department of Mystery.

She'd been in weirder situations.

"So I heard you're called down for a mission." The girl said excitedly, though Rose was under the impression that it was a confidential quest, "Sorry to pry, my dad's in the Time Department so he knows what's up with the Titanium Time Turners, but it's just so exciting!" Her eyes fired electricity and excitement. Rose could definitely imagine this girl as an Auror; she had the attitude for it that's for sure.

"Yep, the briefing went well." She said crisply, not wanting to give up the fact that the mission was gone and over, well, not exactly over, Uncle Harry had given them the end date of Voldemort's demise, but the time travelling part is over, "I'm excited for it too."

The girl frowned, "If that's your excited I'd hate to see when you're bored."

Something caught Rose's brain as she replayed what the girl had said, "I'm sorry, you said your father worked the Time Department, what's his name?"

The brunette girl smiled, "Oh, he's Er-"

"Hey!" A voice interrupted them, Hugo ran in with a hand in his ginger hair and a huge sigh, "I was just wondering where you we-who's this?" He switched topic mid-sentence.

"I'm not sure." Rose admitted, "Her dad works at the Time Department."

Hugo stared at her for a moment, but if the girl was shy about a guy staring at her for a full minute, she didn't show it, "This must be you brother then, I see the similarity in the hair." She smiled.

"Hugo Weasley." He said, "What's your name?"

Before the girl could answer, it seemed that they would never find out her identity, another voice interrupted them. Rose looked up and almost stopped breathing.

_Hannah Longbottom, _or rather Hannah Abbott was in front of them, ruffling the girl's hair. She can suddenly see the similarity between them with the same chin and cheekbones, but the girl must have had her father in the Department of Mystery's hair and eyes. She gave Hugo a glance, and saw him clenching his fist. Obviously since Hannah married someone else, Aly didn't exist.

"There you are sweetie." Hannah smiled, not paying attention to Rose or Hugo. It seemed that she wasn't very close with the whole Potter-Weasley gain after Hogwarts to keep in touch and recognize the Weasley kids, "We've got to get going, your dad's waiting by the Floo Network."

The girl pouted, but gathered up her things (Rose didn't even realize she had books _Time Travelling Myths and Facts, Mystery of the Universe, _and what seemed to be a Muggle novel titled _City of Bones_) and stepped aside, but Rose _had _to figure out her name, it seemed very important somehow, besides, if this was Aly's replacement…

"Excuse me, what's your name?" She asked, hoping it wasn't too impolite, the girl looked back, slightly startled.

"Ella." She said simply, "Ella Gardner, it was a pleasure to meet you Rose and Hugo Weasley."

And with that Ella and her mother walked out of the Library together, leaving a speechless Rose and Hugo behind.

Ella Gardner, they realized, _E. Gardner._

* * *

September **Year 2024 **Meeting Room; Auror's Department; Ministry of Magic

* * *

Ginny poked a hole in her robe, and worked at it under it was the size of a small tangerine. She had been the first person to arrive when her husband called, and after five minutes, she was wondering if she was the only one.

A few minutes later Luna almost seemed to floated in the room, with Neville trailing behind her, then Hermione and Ron. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and was about to start the meeting when Harry halted them.

"There's one more." He muttered, but Ginny can't remember anyone else. Did she forget to invite some best friend that she didn't' know about?

Her answer came in the form of blonde, tall, and pale, as Ron clenched his fist, Hermione and Neville drew a sharp intake of breath, and Ginny narrowed her eyes. Luna, the diplomatic of them all, smiled at the new comer, or maybe she was just thinking of something else.

"Malfoy." Harry said tightly and gestured to the seventh seat, "Glad to take you out of your busy work at the Manor."

Ginny wasn't sure what the Malfoy family did entirely that made them so rich, but she knew it had to do with business, plus the old pure-blood money that was there. She watched as Draco winced under the bright light of the meeting room. It was quite confidential, what they were to discuss, and although it did concern her son, Ginny had filed Scorpius and Draco under two very different categories of relationship.

"Potter." Draco nodded; their relationship was a strained one, though less killing nowadays.

"Voldemort is back." Harry sighed, getting so squarely on the topic that there was a deafening silence in the room; the reactions were exactly as one would expect; disbelief with horror and a side dish of horrible surprise.

"We send our children back to make sure that he would be taken care of, but he had found a way to escape death once again." Harry sighed, seated at the head of the table as Ginny reached over, squeezed his hand slightly and smiled reassuringly, even though her brain was doing cartwheels with confusion.

"So the mission was unsuccessful." Hermione sighed, there were slightly tears in her eyes as Ron held her closely, "We risked their lives for nothing."

Luna, whose only job here is because she had been a babysitter for the young Lysander and very close with him, closer than his deceased mother and estranged father, spoke up, "Not nothing, at least we're alive."

Neville agreed with his wife, "Though I'm glad young Alyson and Franklin wasn't part of the quest, I'm sure your children did quite well."

Harry sighed, "I supposed me being alive is a good thing, but there's the thing of Voldemort now."

"Excuse me." The pure-blooded Slytherin in the room spoke up, as Ginny noticed he was rubbing his arm with care, "I still don't see how this affects me."

"It affects your son!" Ginny spoke up, she cared greatly for James, Lily, and…Albus, and would do anything to be up to date with their status at all times, she couldn't understand why Draco was a bit distant from his son, "It affects all of our children."

"Scorpius can handle things by himself." Draco said curtly, he still haven't given up some of his pureblood ways, despite being somewhat friendly with the group, "Besides, don't you think Voldemort would check up on me, as I was supposedly a Death Eater."

_He does still have the mark, _Ginny realized, and the little winces she had from Draco was not because his shirt was uncomfortable, but because Voldemort is calling on all his followers.

"Right." Harry sighed, "We'll make this brief. All I need to know is that I have your full support on stopping him."

"Of course." Ginny nodded vigorously. Harry had long given up in protecting her against the harm of battle and dark arts. Hermione and Ron agreed as well, being Harry's best friends, Luna smiled while Neville said yes, which leaves the Malfoy.

"What about it Draco? Should we trust you?" Ron challenged, clearly not thinking the Slytherin could do it. They had a brief glare down, Ginny knew that their relationship was particularly strained thanks to Rose and Scorpius' budding romance (what would she do if Lily took an interest in him?), as well as old rivalry. It was no secret that Ron did not think highly of Draco.

"Of course."

She was surprised at the sincerity at his voice. Somehow, along the way of the three decades, Draco Malfoy had really changed.

* * *

**HI HI!**

**So, I am very disappointed.**

**83 REVIEWS? COME ON GUYS YOU CAN DO BETTER**

**I don't want to be incredibly demanding or diva or whatever, but let's get to 100 reviews soon! Hopefully this chapter or the next!**

**(sobbing and drowning in my tears because of my inability to get reviews)**

**Ya, I hate myself too.**

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**And sorry about the long delay, but summer school as been killing me for the last week, I'll get ahead on my studies and hopefully follow the one chapter a week deadline, because I can't place anymore pressure on me until August, until I finally finish this thing!**

**THANK YOU ALL! AND WELCOME BACK TO THE FUTURE/PRESENT WHATEVER!**

**ELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLA**


	23. XXI: Time After Time

**I am aware of how much I suck by waiting this long.**

**Honestly, summer school is a bitch, but instead of just complaining about it, I'm doing this thing that I've seen a lot of other people do, setting deadlines instead of just freelancing willy-nilly.**

**So, from now on, I PROMISE to always update by the Friday of the week, if not sooner.**

**Plus this is also a really short chapter, in my standards anyways, but I have lots of plotlines going so it's awesome.**

**If you need a re-fresher because I've been gone for a while, please read the follow un-bolded synopsis of the events so far!**

After the war, everything seemed to settle down, but the Death Eaters are rising and aim to help the Dark Lord defeat Harry Potter using the Time Turner, so naturally, seven teenagers travel back in time to help save their parents. When their mission is thought to be completed, the Death Eaters pulled a fast one on them and transported the Dark Lord into present day! Now they are lying low. There is a Prophecy said that only the force of all seven teenagers will help Harry Potter defeat the Dark Lord, but with one dead in the past, one not even related to them, and the other five busy with their own life and trauma, it's anyone's guess on which side will win!

**Yup, it's not good, but it's something. Hopefully you remember stuff.**

**I AM A HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING!**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Time After Time**

* * *

The Dark Lord's fate is not yet locked

His cult shall rise and reverse the clock

The children of the seven shall be offered this quest

To turn back the time and preserve what's right

The ending is the new beginning as the titanium is turned

Death escaped again as two worlds will merge

* * *

September **Year 2024 **Malfoy Manor

* * *

It all started with a freakin' shrub.

James Potter was behind that said shrub in the dead of night, squinting into the manor which was their objective, searching for any sign of movement. Next to him was his last choice as a mission partner, his little sister Lily, who looked as calm but fierce as her mother did when they ruined the living room after a particularly rowdy day of tag.

They weren't alone though, about ten Aurors of different shape and sizes (one of which can actually change shape and sizes) were hiding behind the shrub, in completely serious and silence. James would've usually cracked a joke by now, but for once, even the eldest Potter boy didn't feel like laughing.

This was serious, dead serious; James felt his wand in his hand and gripped it hard, white-knuckled and cutting off his circulation a bit. He had been on loads of mission, usually for some shady wizards trying to smuggle dragon eggs or selling faux Felix Felicis to stupid underaged Hogwarts students, but his dad had the right idea of never making him looking for Death Eaters, other than their last mission, but that was necessary because of the prophecy.

E. Gardner's voice rang inside his head, as he whispered 'shut up', leading Lily to give him an odd look.

"Hang in there; we'll get the something soon." Lily smiled reassuringly.

They were currently staking out outside of the Malfoy Manor, looking for any sign of living to march in and demand a search. They had enough evidence to go in without warrant. It was a known Death Eater headquarters, and it still might be.

Joining James and Lily were a selected group of Aurors, in training or expert. Teddy Lupin was their mission leader, with others such as Scorpius, Lysander, Lorcan, and even Draco Malfoy, who had come because he knew the manor the best.

Draco changed, somehow over the last years, but James didn't trust him as much as his father did. His hatred of Death Eaters, both past and present, is something rooted in him so deep that it scared himself sometimes.

_All his fault all his fault all his fault._

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! He told his inner voice, and went on looking. There was no sign of any movement, naturally, why would Voldemort stage his headquarters here again?

"We're wasting time." James hissed at Teddy, whose hair matched the shrub behind him for camouflage purposes, though it made quite the fashion statement, "We should be storming in and checking, especially if they're not there."

"It could be a trap." Teddy warned, "Is best we wait for someone and attempt to use them as hostage."

James grumbled, and took his spot next to Lily. If it was up to him, all of the Death Eaters in that house would be dead by now, but of course, his father specifically instructed for their capture, so that they could be questioned.

What else is there to question? They were Death Eaters, they were evil, and they deserve to die, not like Albus. Al, who was dead because of James' stupid mistake…his last action, had been to borrow a stupid cup of sugar.

He was just about to speak to Lily again, when there was a flash of movement. All ten of them stared at the little shadow-y figure in the Manor, coming closer by the second. It didn't look very distinctive, such as Voldemort's billowing cape nor had Lucius's cane, so there was no telling who it might be.

"Stay alert boys." Teddy whispered, earning a glare from Lily, "And uh...girl."

The fight broke out before James could even blink, as twenty Death Eaters outnumbered them greatly and started shouting curses at rapid speed. The advantage of non-verbal spells are no more, because the noise blocked everything out. It was just James, his wand, and death.

Briefly he guessed that it could be a trap, that the Death Eaters could've guessed their appearance and planned it all out before they were there, but it could also be just another attack. Either ways, James was giving it all he's got, but it wasn't enough to keep them at bay.

"Left of you James!" Scorpius shouted, as James ducked a green curse, flying just above him and grazing him on the shoulder. He winced at the pain, but luckily he wasn't dead. So James kept on fighting.

"Now the right!" Scorpius shouted again.

"Try to look at your opponent, will you Malfoy?" James laughed back, taking a bit of effort to raise his wand again and send a curse at the in-coming Death Eater. He didn't mean it, but subconsciously, James had shouted out a slashing curse, and now the man was covered in blood, at his feet, and useless.

It felt…good.

"We're aiming to disarm and stun, not kill!" Lily's shrilly voice rang somewhere above the crowd, as James felt shame immediately, then slight anger. Why did these man deserve his sympathy? They were nothing but mindless, evil followers of Voldemort.

_They don't deserve anything._

"JAMES!" Lily shouted as the older Potter boy advanced on what looked like their leader, fighting with Teddy and looking incredibly confused that Teddy was turning from a five year old boy to a thirty year old woman in the same second. He had pretty much mastered his Metamorphmagus abilities, and used it as much as possible.

"Teddy!" James shouted, "I've got this, go cover the others."

Teddy looked reluctant, but somehow they traded dueling partners and James was staring at the head Death Eater in the face. He looked familiar, with a dark mop hair and hasn't looked like he shaved in days. He had a big body with ripping muscles that looked very fake and yellow teeth that bore out at James primitively. Without another word, James shouted _Expelliarmus _and promptly disarmed him quickly. The Death Eater looked surprised at James's expertise, as the Potter boy smirked, he learnt from the best of the Auror's after all.

He pushed the Death Eater to the ground, but to his surprise the man didn't look scared, not a bit, but instead he smiled brightly as realization came over his face.

"I've wanted to see you." His voice was vicious as his sharp teeth that made him look like a vampire, as if his pale skin already didn't do so, "The oldest Potter boy." James knew that the Death Eater was trying to provoke him to take a shot, and for that reason, he was determined to do the opposite.

He didn't question it, but tuned out all outside distraction, Teddy would take care of them. If he could just get their boss, the battle would be over. He wasn't sure what came over him to do so, maybe because the sight of blood slightly excited him and he wanted more, to harm more, to hurt more, to _kill _more.

"I'm surprised that you know who I am." He said wryly, "After all, it's not as if my father killed your leader."

The Death Eater's eyes like ashes lit on fire, and settled them on James, "But now he's back, surely you and your stupid Auror realize that. He's back, and he'll be mighty happy to know that the Potter had off-springs, after all, there is more chance to hurt him now…"

By the tone of his voice, James detected something. It wasn't just about him, how James was Harry's son and therefore killing James will make Voldemort very happy, but something else. As if…they already hurt Harry, as if they already got rid of one of his off-springs.

"You." He realized, turning his wand towards the man and shouted, "You killed Albus!"

The identity finally got matched to a face, the murder of Albus Potter was staring James in the face, and he could kill him, if he wanted to. He knew the spell, he was useless…

"The name's Rabastan Lestrange." He smiled crudely, "I believe you've met my sister in law."

"Bellatrix." James said without emotion, "You're more of a monster than she is. That is saying something because I'm pretty sure she eats children for breakfast."

Lestrange let out a howl of laughter as James tried to remain calm, but how is he supposed to do so when the killer of his brother is so close, that he can almost reach him, take his neck, and snap it in half.

The violent thoughts didn't disturb him, but instead calmed James. He imagined Lestrange's bloody figure as James stood over him, triumph, exacted his revenge just like he had dreamt…

"Take a shot, little hero." Lestrange sneered, "If you want to kill me, then do it."

He did, oh James _so _wanted to blast this man to pieces and make him feel the pain and death that he bestowed upon Al. He wanted to rip Lestrange apart, piece by piece, and watch the horror on his face as James did so. He wanted to kill him, sent him to the deepest darkest pit in hell and let him suffer for eternity.

But James just stood over him, staring and glaring and not making a move. His arms trembled slightly, and Lestrange caught it as well.

"Looks like we have a coward." Lestrange said, "You're too afraid to-"

"_CRUCIO!" _James shouted, settling for the torture curse and watched as his opponent twitch uncontrollably and cry out in agony that no one should face, "_CRUCIO!" _Tears were coming down as James blasted curse after curse. There will be consequences, being Harry Potter's son doesn't make James above the law of the Unforgivable Curses, but he didn't care. "_CRUCIO!"_

"James!" A voice voice broke into his head. James had been consumed in his own voice mixed in with Lestrange's, shouting and hurting and harming and crying, but this new voice was pure. James turned from the bloody figure to see a new one. Her ginger hair whipped as Lily cried out, "Wha-"

"Lily." His voice back to normal as he finally lift the curse, "I-" It was on the tip of his tongue to say that he was sorry, but he wasn't. "He deserved it, he _killed Al!_"

Lily looked over the scene with fear, as James realized that they've tied up all the other Death Eaters, bunching them together onto a ministry car and ready to be interrogated, but their boss, Lestrange, was unconscious and subconsciously whimpering from the pain.

"Oh." That's all she said, and without a word or eye contact, Lily turned around quickly and joined Scorpius and Lysander by the car, with Teddy looking at James, shaking his head.

"Revenge is never the answer." The cliché line came across James' mind without anyone needing to say it, but in James' mind, there was nothing sweeter than the sound of his enemy's cries, knowing that he was the one that caused it all.

* * *

September **Year 2023 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* * *

Hogwarts was different now that Hugo had seen what it looked like years ago. It's a bit strange really, knowing how much he had been through compared to his classmates. He wondered if this is how his parents felt when they were in school, though Hugo didn't think that their adventures traversed time and space.

He walked like a zombie to all his classes. Rose was idly in the house for now, Scorpius, Lysander, Lily and James are on their mission, while Hugo is just alone, wandering, missing the one person who he would feel good around, even if he wasn't playing hero.

"Well, you look down."

He recognizes that voice anywhere, even though he had only heard it so many times. Ella, the ghost, was standing (well, floating) behind him with a bored expression and see through clothing. Apparently she had been the ghost for a while, catching up to them in present time. Hugo briefly wondered if she had seen the current day Ella.

"You killed my best friend!" Hugo yelled at her. It was something satisfying after restraining to do so when he first saw the human Ella at the Ministry Library, "Of course I'm down!"

Ella shrugged, "You, Hugo Weasley, need to relax your aura; I'm getting a bad vibe here."

He seriously wanted to kill her, except for the fact that she was quite dead.

"If it wasn't for you, she would be here right now." Hugo sighed; a few betrayer tears trickled down as he stopped them immediately. He _hated _Ella, _why did she tell Aly that?_

"She would." Ella shrugged, "Alice Longbottom would certainly be here right now if it wasn't for me."

"STOP USING FULL NAMES!" He shouted, just needing to find something annoying in the otherwise happy-go-lucky Ella, "IT'S ANNOYING!"

For the first time Hugo had seen Ella, she looked appalled, opposing her usual quizzical smile and puzzling grins, "Well." She huffed, "It's nice to talk to you too!" And floated off.

It was humiliating, arguing with a ghost, and seriously unsatisfying when the ghost was Ella. Hugo felt like he lost, when there wasn't even anything to loose.

His feet carried him to strange places, all the way down the castle and up again only to take the moving staircase to the first floor, and somehow to the greenhouse, well, near the greenhouse at least. Herbology was Aly's favorite class, just like her father…

_Neville, _Hugo thought, he had this strange desire to talk to his Herbology teacher, which is weird because they didn't have that kind of close relationship. Either way, his feet knew where to go, and soon enough he was knocking on his teacher's door.

"Who's th-oh, Hugo." Neville looked down, visibly tired from working double as an Herbology teacher and a part-time Auror, "What are you doing here?"

There was a loud cry from the room, as Hugo snuck a peak into Neville's bedroom in the castle. There, in the middle of the room on the bed, was an adorable eleven year old with goofy childish grin and a mop of messy brown hair, _adorable_, Hugo thought bitterly, _Neville's _son _was just adorable._

"Frankie!" Neville groaned, letting Hugo in without questioning it too much, "You know that I'm not really allowed to let you in here."

"But daddy." Frankie, as Hugo realized his name was (suddenly his head was filled with vision of babysitting this kid, even though this was the first time they've met), "It's only my first year."

Neville rolled his eyes, "It'll be seen as favoritism, why you don't go back to the Gryffindor dorms? It's a lot bigger than here."

Frankie, apparently a huge daddy's little prince, shook his head stubbornly. Maybe being an only child made Frankie spoiled a bit, Hugo thought bitterly as he watched the family. He could imagine Luna coming in sometimes, visiting her husband who works at school for most of the year. That happened to be part of the reason Hannah and Neville left each other in Hugo's world, but apparently Miss. Love-excuse him, _Longbottom_ now, didn't have a problem with that.

"I don't want to be in the Gryffindor dorms." Frankie pouted, "It's scary, and other people make fun of me."

Neville pouted, but looked sympathetic as well, "I'm sure it isn't that bad." But he didn't really believe it. Frankie looked like a splitting image of Neville when he was eleven, a bit puffier perhaps and a little more like Luna in his face, but still very awkward. If Frankie didn't use the "my dad fought in the Second Wizarding World card", Hugo was sure he would be picked on by lots of Slytherin kids.

"You just have to get used to it." Neville declared, shooing Frankie out of the room, "Go, go on, little grasshopper."

Frankie huffed and stalked out of the room. It wasn't just curfew yet, so he was allowed to roam the hallway on his own. Hugo knew this because he would be in trouble too if it was too late at night.

"What did you need to talk to me about Hugo?" Neville clapped together his hand, "Extra credit assignment in Herbology?"

"No." Hugo said, unsure of where he was going with this, "Actually, sir, I was wondering if you had heard the prophecy."

Neville stopped, "The Child of Seven Prophecy? Of course, memorized it actually." He nodded, "What's this about?"

"Well…" Hugo said, continuing, "It spoke of the child of the seven, obviously, meaning Lily, James, Rose, Scorpius, me, and Lysander because he was a close friend of Luna's, but what about you sir?"

Neville's face grew a bit red, "Well, Harry certainly came to me, but I couldn't give up my children for the war."

"Why not?" Hugo pressed on, "I understand Frankie's a bit young, but you certainly know when not to run from a problem."

Neville looked confused for a moment, "Frankie? He is my child, I suppose, but I was actually referring to-"

"Dad!" A new voice entered the room, feminine and annoyed, "Frankie's climbed up to the Ravenclaw Tower and won't leave the door alone, you think you can tell him to shut it!"

"It's not my fault if I'm not used to the castle Alyson, you're just a big meanie."

"Ugh!" Hugo turned around at this point, and almost died on the spot.

_Aly._

"Alyson, be nice to your brother." Neville pinched his nose, visibly exasperated, but next to Hugo he looked very normal. 'Alyson' was staring at Hugo weirdly as well as Frankie.

"Hello Hugo." Alyson smiled brightly at him, and that's when Frankie stared crying and all hell inside Hugo's mind broke loose.

* * *

**OOOOOOHHHH ALY IS BACK!**

**It's a filler chapter, but it's a chapter.**

**So, now the second set of events are going to happen, and it will have a happy ending (spoiler), but it depends on the definition of 'happy ending'.**

**Anyways, here is some food for thought before you'd like to leave. Since I would love to get to a HUNDRED reviews, I'm making it slightly more interactive.**

If you had to name one of your kids after a Harry Potter character (like we weren't already doing that), who would it be?

**I kind of alright picked mine out, Alice being an awesome name (I'm thinking along the same lines as Neville and Hannah, because I'm not really all for Alyson, but *shrug*). For a boy, James is nice, but I also love Fred or George, because they're amazing hilarious and I'm DEFINITELY naming them that if I somehow end up with twin boys.**

**So, HOW ABOUT YOU! SEE YOU ALL AT THE LATEST NEXT FRIDAY! August 2nd (can you believe it's already almost August?)**

**~Lilies **


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